The Girl of His Dreams
by Backinwonderland
Summary: Danny liked his life. He liked the glamour and the glitz. He liked going to bed with one girl, and waking up to go see another. And the void he felt in his heart? Yeah, the loneliness and the emptiness? It was nothing. Just something everyone felt, right?
1. Introduction

_"And now… the moment you've all been waiting for… brought to you from D.J's back garden… it's – THE BEATLES!" Danny Jones's youthful voice cheered loudly as he dropped the needle on the record and Abbey Road started to play loudly through the air. He and his playmate jumped on top of the picnic table and danced like the whole world was watching them. _

_ "Danny, move over! I want to do a spin!" The girl beside him exclaimed, her eyes alight with excitement. At her request, Danny jumped down on to the bench of the table and clapped as she jumped in the air and completed a three hundred and sixty degree turn. _

_ "Awesome, D.K! Now watch me!" Danny tried mimicking her jump, but with such little room on the bench he slipped and fell down onto the grass, getting green stains imbedded in his pants. _

_ "Are you okay?" His friend immediately rushed down and knelt beside him as he massaged the sore spot on his knee. _

_ "Yeah, I'm fine. Let's keep dancing!" He pushed himself up and offered his small hand to her instinctively. _

_ "What are you two _doing _out here?" Both the young children's faces paled as Danny's tall father came out of the house, his eyes narrowed and furious. _

_ "Um… we were… dancing…" Danny replied quietly, trying to hide the stains on his pants. _

_ "Dancing? No son of mine is going to waste his time dancing! Did you take my records, too? You know better than to take this stuff out of the house! Get out of here – both of you!" Danny and his friend didn't need any further dismissal. They left the back yard faster than a bullet, running through the ivy that bordered the yard and panting as they hit the old dirt path that connected their houses._

_ "Did… you see… his face?" D.K. asked, her eyes wide._

_ "Yeah… we got… lucky…" he trailed off as they slowed to a walk, kicking the rocks that fell in their path. _

_ "Want to go to the corner store? I've got some money left over from my allowance. I can get us some Mars Bars!" D.K. grinned, her face glowing at the thought of candy. _

_ "Race you there!" Danny cried, taking off down the path and leaving her in his dust._

_ But somehow she beat him there. She always did. _

_ "Well if it isn't D.J. and D.K! How you two holding up? Thought it was about that time of the week for you two to buy me out of all my sweets!" Good old Billy owned the corner store with his wife. They were very accustomed to Danny and D.K's visits. _

_ "Can we have two Mars Bars, please?" D.K. asked, her voice sweet and innocent and she grinned her toothy smile up at Billy. _

_ "Of course you can, love. Here, I'll throw in an extra one free of charge. Would you like that?" He asked, smiling as well. _

_ "Would I ever!" She turned to Danny, unable to believe their luck. _

_ D.K. handed over her coins and Billy counted out each one with her, grinning the whole time. It always confused Danny that Billy and his wife never had kids. They could give them all the candy they wanted. _

_ "You ready to go D.J?" D.K. asked as she opened the door, looking back at him in confusion. _

_ "Wait, I want to get the liquorish," Danny explained, looking up at Billy expectantly as the man got them for him._

_ "You know you don't have to do that," D.K. sighed as they both left, carrying their sweets protectively in their hands. _

_ "Yeah, I do. I like to do it," Danny shrugged, "I think it cheers her up." _

_ "Why would she need to be cheered up? She's always happy," D.K. replied, with an almost jealous tone to her voice. _

_ "You don't see it? Her eyes look… sad…" Danny knew he sounded stupid. _

_ "Eyes can't be sad, D.J... unless they're crying. And she never cries."_

_ "Whatever. I bet I can beat you home!" And they were off again. _

_ They both hammered their feet quickly against D.K.'s driveway, trying to be the first to reach the door. Danny was… almost… there…_

_ "Haha! I win again!" D.K. cheered, making Danny frown. _

_ "Only be cause I had to carry the liquorish…"_

_ "I'm carrying three Mars Bars!" _

_ "Whatever, it shouldn't count-"_

_ "D.K? D.J? Is that you?" Their little argument was interrupted by a quiet voice calling from D.K's living room. They both put aside their differences for the time being and made their way towards the voice._

_ In the middle of the room sat a young woman. She was probably in her mid-thirties, but she looked so much older. Her skin was all pale, and every time Danny saw her she had a new bruise somewhere on her body. She wore a bandana around her head, almost making it look like she had no hair._

_ And she definitely had no eyebrows. Danny always pretended like he didn't notice. _

_ "What are you two doing inside on a beautiful day like this? You should be out on one of your little adventures," D.K's mother grinned down at them, showing her pearly white teeth from under her very pale lips. _

_ But her eyes didn't smile. It was how Danny knew she was sad. Her eyes never lit up the way D.K's did when she was happy. _

_ "We went to the corner store. I got you some more liquorish!" Danny grinned, handing her the bag. _

_ "Oh Danny Jones… I'll never understand how you're such a great little boy. You treat me so well," her mouth smiled again as she accepted the bag. _

_ D.K's mother was always hooked up to a machine. Danny didn't know what it did – he'd asked his own mum but she'd hushed him and sent him away, telling him to stop asking personal questions. He didn't get why it was so personal. He was just curious._

_ The machine was like a big metal backpack. It hung off the back of her rocking chair and it had a clear tube running across her chest and up to her nose where it rested. Danny always thought that it was there to make sure she didn't sneeze. _

_ "Mmm, delicious!" She grinned as she took a small bite of the candy. A few seconds later a beeping noise started and made Danny and D.K. jump. _

_ Her mum's eyes widened as she tried to turn around to touch the machine. _

_ "What's that sound?" Danny asked, pretty sure that it wasn't something good. _

_ "Oh it's nothing, dear. Don't worry about it-"_

_ "Is it something on your backpack? Do you want my help?" The moment Danny offered, D.K's father rushed down the stairs._

_ "Hey you two. Mind heading outside for a while? I think your mother needs to rest a little bit," he said while ushering them out the door. Danny looked over his shoulder, not sure that he felt comfortable leaving the woman. _

_ "That was weird…" D.K. said as her father locked the door behind them. _

_ "Yeah… really weird…" Danny agreed, looking back at the house and thinking that for some reason, D.K's mother wouldn't be around for much longer. _


	2. Chapter 2

**WOW. Thank you all for your interest in my new story! I've missed writing on FF so much! I'll be posting one new chapter every Monday for those of you who don't follow me on Twitter and didn't know =]**

There were exactly twelve packets of sugar in the small black box placed neatly on the edge of the four-cornered table. And twenty-eight other basically empty tables lined the walls and covered the floor space of the rustic Mom-and-Pop Pizza Parlor. Each table had four chairs placed neatly around them waiting with a sad sort of enthusiasm to be filled.

Except for the five far tables near the back right windows where he was sitting with her. Those tables only had two chairs each, probably to make the atmosphere seem somewhat more romantic... though intimacy was pretty much impossible to accomplish in a pizza joint, wasn't it?

...The ceiling had forty cardboard tiles and nine florescent light fixtures. There were five people working: two men and three women. They all had on black pants, white shirts, and visors labeled "Vinny's Place" in bright red letters. None of them were smiling.

It had been six… seven… eight seconds since she had last spoken about the millionth random thing that he didn't remotely care about. And it was those awkward eleven… twelve… thirteen seconds that he found most unbearable. But he always managed to suffer through them for what he would receive in the end as a reward.

There were… six wobbly tables being supported by tissue paper wedged under their uneven legs.

"Here you go. Have a good night you two," their waitress dropped his credit card on the table and smiled artificially as she walked back to the kitchen.

"So… you want to head back to my place?" The girl across from him asked, pushing her half eaten salad out of the way as she stood up and dawned her light jacket, braking their bored silence.

Typical. But who was he to argue?

"Absolutely," he grinned.

Generic. But passable.

She smiled back, their grins like a well-known and well-used language. It was all a game they played, not just with each other, but with whoever struck their interest. It was a worldwide language – one every player and every slut knew and used on a regular basis. There was nothing special or unique or mysterious about their relationship.

It just _was_.

"Watch your step – my roommate is a mess," she giggled as he stumbled through her door and looked around the flat. It looked like the home of someone who never actually lived there except maybe at night (and not even then, really.)

The rest of the evening would go by as it always did for him. For a few hours, their two lonely hearts would become one for nothing more than selfish gain. For him it was the rush, the release. For her it was the reputation, the claim to fame. It wasn't everyday you got to sleep with a rock star.

He was Danny Jones, guitarist and singer for British pop band, McFly. She was just another nameless Barbie with a pretty face and no brains. Neither of them seemed to mind though.

This is who Danny was. He was the playboy, the shagger. Everyone knew it but no one really cared. If anything, people fed off of it. A week couldn't go by without a mention of "Who is Danny with _now_" headlining in all the tabloids. Paparazzi would sneak around, hoping to snag a glimpse of his new squeeze. The world was waiting to see who could finally hold Danny Jones's attention for more than a night. It was a little game they all liked to play, but he knew deep down they would never be satisfied - because neither could he.

Relationships… commitment… _marriage_… none of it was really his thing. Why would he waste life away with one person when the whole world was just full of people waiting for him to explore? How could he really ever know if he was with _the one _if there was no way he could meet everyone out there? Why commit to something if he could _never _really be sure?

Danny liked his life. He liked the glamour and the glitz. He liked going to bed with one girl, and waking up to go see another. He liked the ability to live like a bachelor and have the world approve – even be _entertained _by his lifestyle choice. He'd have to be insane not to thrive off of the attention.

"Oh yeah baby… that's great…" Danny moaned as she kissed him. This was what life was about.

"Yeah? You like that?" She grinned, pleased to be pleasing.

"You bet I do… Oh… Oh-Oh Danny-" he froze.

This was new.

She froze. Shocked, too.

"Did… did you just call out your own name?" She asked, moving away from him with a disbelieving look on her face. It was an expression so uncommon for her that it almost seem like she had to force it out. Apparently she could usually handle anything.

"I… I meant to say… uh… Annie?"

"Annie? My name is _Sarah_ you asshole!" Her face was slowly changing from disbelief to anger as they continued talking.

"Right! _Right_ I meant _Sarah! _Sorry – please, babe, let's just-"

"Get the fuck out of here you egotistical, narcissistic, self-loving, bastard! I can't believe you called out your _own name_ in bed! Get out!" She screamed, reaching behind him and grabbing a pillow to beat him over the head with. Danny scurried away, trying to protect himself as he tried to find his clothes.

He had totally misjudged her. He didn't even know what "narcissistic" meant.

So much for Blonde Barbie…

"Chill out – I'm leaving! Stop hitting me you… CRAZY LADY!" He screamed as she pushed him out of her room. His shirt was in his hands, his boxers on his legs and his pants nowhere in sight. "I need my _PANTS_!" He screamed through the door, not leaving without his wallet or phone.

The door swung open and she threw them at him, slamming the door loudly in his face while screaming at him to leave. He rolled his eyes, not even bothering with a retort. There was no salvaging the situation.

Not like he cared anyway.

"PSYCHO!" Danny screamed at the house as he walked down the dark, damp street. She had been the one with the car – how on earth was he supposed to get home? Teleport?

He pulled his phone out of his pocket, deciding which friend was best to call during his time of desperate need.

There was Dougie Poynter, bassist for their band, McFly. Normally Danny never relied on Dougie for rides, seeing as he was the youngest of the group and it still hadn't really sunk in that he had the _ability _to drive. Not to mention the fact that the young bassist was a bit of an oddball. He probably already had some crazy plans for the night and Danny didn't want to be a burden.

Then there was Tom Fletcher, his dual guitarist and singer in the band. Danny had no doubt in his mind that Tom would drop whatever he was doing to go and rescue him from the dark streets, seeing as he was one of the nicest guys Danny had ever met, but Danny could already hear the lecture Tom would lay into him the entire ride home. _"What have I told you about showing a little more respect to girls? I mean… her _name_, Dan? Seriously!" _Danny wasn't sure if he was in the mood for it.

Last, but not least, there was Harry Judd, McFly's drummer. The more Danny considered calling Harry, the better the idea sounded. Harry would probably be the most understanding out of all his band mates, seeing as he had been quite the ladies man at one point in his life as well. Harry wasn't the lecturing type, but the sit-back-and-I'll-tell-you-about-_my_-experience type.

"Hey Haz? You busy?"Danny asked as his friend picked up on the third ring. "I'm stuck at that bird's place from tonight. Anyway you could give me a lift?"

Danny sighed gratefully when Harry agreed and gave him basic directions. It wasn't too far of a drive so he just had to pass the time until his rescuer showed up.

And then he saw the flash.

It was so unexpected Danny nearly screamed and didn't immediately recognize what it was. Had he been slightly prepared he would've known right away that it was the unmerciful flash of a paparazzi digital camera, and he wouldn't have squeaked like a scared little girl.

"Oi! Anyone out there?" Danny called as he looked in the direction in which the flash had come from. A few silent moments passed, making Danny second-guess the flash and question his own sanity, before a stout, middle-aged man popped out from behind a bush, his fedora hat nearly falling off his head from his abrupt posture change.

"Well if it isn't Danny Jones! Care to comment on why you just screamed, and I quote verbatim, '_PSYCHO'_ at that little cottage?" The portly man had now come out of his hiding place behind the bush and was waddling his way over to Danny, tape recorder protruding out like it was an extension of his right hand while his camera hung loosely from his neck.

Danny's stomach churned as he realized his grave error. He knew that deep down any press was good press… but _bad _press always ate away at his soul a little bit. There was no redeeming quality for it except for the free advertising and exposure.

"Um… I don't know what you're talking about mate, sorry," Danny tried to play it cool. Maybe he'd get lucky and the tubby guy would turn out to be a nice reporter.

And maybe pigs would start flying…

"Danny Jones, I've got you recorded _on my tape recorder _shouting that obscenity at that little house! Who lives there? Is it your girlfriend? Did she chuck you out for some reason?" The man seemed much too eager to get a story.

"What? Mate, seriously, who actually uses a tape recorder anymore anyway? Get with the times. It's all digital now. Here, check out my phone. I've got an app that will record high quality stuff for like thirty minutes straight." Danny was sincerely hoping he could distract the reporter. He didn't really feel like answering personal, trivial questions.

"Oh really? Well don't mind if I do!" The man nearly giggled, putting down his camera and tape recorder. Danny felt victorious as he pulled his phone out of his pocket, proud that he had successfully avoided another blow to his reputation.

As soon as he withdrew his phone and began flipping through his apps, Harry's night blue SUV pulled around the road's bend and sped towards Danny and the man who were standing in the middle of the street. He had perfect timing.

"Um… hello?" Harry stopped next to them, sending a curious look from Danny to the reporter.

"Hey dude, this is… um…"

"Jason. Jason Mason," he smiled happily, his cheekbones swelling to the size and color of cherries on the sides of his face.

"Awesome name!" Danny couldn't help but comment as he patted the man farewell on the back.

"Need a lift anywhere, Jason Mason?" Harry smiled politely, still not really sure what was going on.

"Oh no, I've got my car parked in the woods over that way. Thank you, though!" He nodded his head towards them, smiling cheerily again as Harry pulled away.

"Danny, you make friends in the oddest situations," he commented, an amused smile on his face.

"Yeah well, let's just get back to my place. Want to stay for a drink?" Danny asked, wanting to thank Harry for the speedy pick up. Harry agreed and they headed in the direction of Danny's flat.

Despite the evening's odd turns, including Danny's run in with the reporter, none of the events truly fazed him. He had learned over time to move on from rejection or negativity because he could always find happiness somewhere else. So what if… what was her name? Sarah? Yeah, so what if she turned him down? There was no doubt in his mind that within twenty-four hours he would be tossing on a new bed with a new bird – one who didn't care if he didn't know her name. And he would take what he needed from her – the quick release and the fill of artificial happiness – and then move on again.

It was a constant cycle - an inevitability. There would always be another girl out there for him to conquer and he wouldn't stop until he got them all.

**Peacelovebookx107 **– Well I'm very glad you like it and that you're excited. For the first chapter I had no idea what to write. I actually didn't write it until the story was halfway finished. I quite like how I decided to do it though. A cute little blast to the past =] Anyway, thank you lovely! Glad you're excited for a new story!

**Younggryffindor – **Haha thank you! I'm super happy you're interested. There was a small part of me that was nervous the first chapter would turn people away because it doesn't really have that strong of a hook. No serious action actually starts until like… the 6th chapter… but you'll see if you decide to bare with me! Haha anyway, thank you my dear!

**Gnarley – **Well I'm glad my story is bringing you back into the McFly fanfic world! I've been out of it for so long! I've just been super lazy and unmotivated… but this story just like… HAD to be written. Anyway, glad you're enjoying it! Peace lovely =]

**McFlYiNgHiGh – **Hello my love! Long time no talk is right! I'm glad you're interested in this story – I'm SUPER proud of the way it came out. And I seriously hope you will be too. And I think I'm not ruining any story secrets by saying that D.K. is a completely fictional character and made up in my own head. So if she IS connected to the boys some how, it's a freaky coincidence! Hahaha anyway, thanks for the review – TTYOT! (Long time since I've used that!)

**CrushedCoppelia** – I'm so excited to get back in the swing of things! I've been gone for much too long. And I was pretty darn pleased with the way the prologue came out too. I think it gives JUST enough away to keep everyone interested, but not enough so that they already know the whole story lol. Thank you for being my trampoline. I bounced ideas off you just trying to sort through my own head! You're a life saver XD LOVE!

**Ashh – **Haha, I didn't see anything wrong with your review! Oh well – and thank you so much for the lovely compliment! I've taken such a long break from FanFiction but I'm glad to be back and writing again. And I figured what better way to start off then with a Danny fic? Those are always fun! Haha anyway, thank you so much for the review! =]

**Kylee – **I'm glad you liked the prologue! I wasn't quite sure what the right route was to take with it, and I figured a cute little kid Danny was the best option. And you picked up on his dad! There's like two or three lines throughout the story of his dad being a turd. Good spot! Lol anyway, thanks for the review! Peace lovely!


	3. Chapter 3

**Here you go loves! Another chapter! Thank you for the amazing responses. I'm so happy you all enjoy my writing!**

_"Trouble in McFly Land? Is Danny Jones having late-night, public spats with a new blonde mystery friend? More on page 28!" _

"You've got to be kidding me…" Danny groaned as he read the magazine cover. How had Jason Mason gotten the story out so fast?

"He made you sound like a prick, too, by the way," Tom offered as he took the magazine back from Danny with a displeased look on his face.

Tom had woken Danny from his hung over slumber by throwing the teen magazine directly at his nose. He was barely awake enough to really process what the story meant, let alone feel the sting the sharp paper had left as it roughly grazed his cheeks.

"Well that's annoying. I was _trying _to be nice to the guy. Harry even offered him a ride home!" Danny looked over at Harry's limp form on the other end of the couch. He'd managed to miraculously balance an empty beer bottle in his loose grasp.

"He says you guys sped away, laughing out the window."

"That's just cruel lies," Danny stated, not really caring about the story any more. No one really _read _those stories. Most girls bought the magazine for the poster cut outs of cute boys and stuff. "Want to go get coffee?"

"I already started a pot," Tom sighed, leaving Danny sitting on the couch as he went to the kitchen. "So how did your night _really _go last night? I can't imagine you screaming down the street… well, actually I kind of can."

Danny rolled his eyes as he sank back on the couch. "It was a no-go. Girl was too uptight about what _could_ and _could not_ be said in bed. Whatever. I want to go to PlusMinus tonight and maybe see if I can make up for last night. You game?" He offered as Tom reentered the room, two cups of black coffee in his hands. Danny had quickly switched to another topic, hoping Tom wouldn't inquire as to what _exactly_ Danny had let slip between the sheets with the girl. Tom would psychoanalyze the shit out of the stupid mistake again and again if Danny told him that he said his own name.

"I don't know, Dan. I think Gi and I were thinking about staying in tonight. There's going to be a documentary on Walt Disney that we wanted to watch," he grinned as his inner child beamed through his excited eyes at the thought of being entertained by his childhood hero.

"Wow. That sounds like a lot of fun." It was impossible to miss his sarcasm dripping from Danny's voice. Tom rolled his eyes in response.

"Why don't you take Dougie with you, if you're so determined to go out again? He's an all right wing man," Tom suggested as his sipped his coffee.

"I don't know… Dougie was the one who hooked me up with the girl from last night. I think he hasn't really got a grip on my type yet, know what I mean?"

"Danny, _girl _is your type. Maybe what you _really _need is a week off from your crazy social life. Go visit your mum or something," Tom laughed as Danny's mouth fell open at the suggestion.

"There is nothing wrong with my social life, thank you very much-"

"Do I smell coffee?" Danny was interrupted as Harry yawned loudly from his end of the couch and the bottle in his hands clanged to the floor. He swore loudly as he moved to pick it up.

"Yeah, there's a fresh pot in the kitchen. Help yourself," Danny replied as he lifted his feet off the coffee table so his friend could get by.

"What's that?" Harry asked as he spied the magazine next to Danny's legs. "Dude, was that fat guy a reporter? How'd he get this printed so quickly?" He lifted the magazine and started flipping through the pages, skimming the article's contents.

"Yeah, but I thought I'd talked him out of printing anything…" Danny shrugged, not really caring. "It's whatever. No one's going to read it anyway."

"Mate… what happened last night?" Harry laughed as he finished reading the article. Danny sighed, annoyed.

"Nothing. I… I kind of called out the wrong name with the girl last night." _Yeah, _my _name… _

"Really? That's low, dude." Tom was shaking his head, not pleased. Danny ignored him.

"It doesn't matter anyway. I don't know why I slipped up. Normally I just stick to nick names but it just popped out. Kind of lost in the moment – you know?" Danny grinned cheekily, meeting Tom and Harry's understanding eyes.

Harry scoffed and hit Danny's floppy brown hair with the magazine. "We need to teach you some respect. Maybe then you'll be able to actually keep one girl."

"Hey, don't be a jerk. If I wanted to I could easily keep one girl. But it'd be unfair to all the other girls out there begging to get a piece of The Danny Jones. Why would you want me to be so cruel?" The cheeky grin was back on his face.

So Harry smacked him again.

"Could you _please _stop doing that? I've got a headache…" Danny stated while rubbing his head where Harry had hit him.

"You know you deserve it. Seriously, it must be lonely up there on your pedestal, Dan. Why don't you come back down to Earth and be equal to the rest of us for a bit, all right?" Harry's words were harsh, but his tone was joking. Danny continued to scowl as the drummer left to get some coffee.

"I'm not going to be as blunt or as sarcastic as Harry, but he does have a point, Dan…" Tom stopped talking at the warning glare Danny shot him. "But whatever. You'll be at rehearsal tomorrow, right? We need to record your vocals and then I wanted to run through the new songs, and we need to go over old stuff too." Tom was back in McFly mode.

"Yeah, of course I will. What time is it at again?" Danny asked as he stood up and stretched. He really needed to go take a shower.

"Noon, so if you go out tonight don't forget to set your alarm clock or something. And make sure you let Dougie know in case he goes with you." Tom could make a great mother one day.

"Yeah, yeah, I won't forget. I'm going to go shower off. You two can chill here if you want." Danny spoke loud enough for Harry to hear him in the kitchen.

"No, I think I'm going to head out. I was out shopping for milk and bread when I saw the magazine and decided to stop by, so I better be getting home. See you tomorrow – and don't forget!" Tom called as he got up and left, leaving with a quick wave.

Danny rolled his eyes before walking to his bathroom.

For a single guy living alone, his bathroom was pretty clean. Sure the floor probably needed to be mopped and there was dust along the windowsill, but it definitely wasn't as disgusting as it could have been. If he ever had company over, he wouldn't be ashamed for them to use the toilet.

But he never had any company over that he really cared about enough to _feel _ashamed. The guys didn't give a damn where they went to the bathroom as long as there was toilet paper, and Danny had a strict No Girls Allowed policy in his flat. He didn't want any of them coming back to find him when he decided to finally leave.

He quickly shed his clothes and turned on the hot water. He needed something soothing after his annoying night. Danny watched as his reflection in the mirror slowly started to fog up from the steam and disappeared from view.

Turning away from his mirror, he jumped in the shower and started scrubbing. He needed something rhythmic and second nature to distract his mind. He wasn't sure why he felt so… empty. Like he didn't really exist. Something Tom had said while they had talked about his love life had started this weird feeling. He didn't know what it was though. Why did he suddenly feel… unfulfilled?

He was supposed to feel accomplished, not like he'd lost out on something. He'd been with at least twice as many girls people his age normally got. That was supposed to be a good thing… wasn't it?

Danny sighed, annoyed by his own thoughts. Of _course_ it was a good thing. How could it not be? He felt experienced and worthy. How could that be wrong?

After a good twenty minutes, he shut off the shower and grabbed a towel. He left the bathroom looking for Harry, wondering if the drummer had been kind enough to make some good breakfast. After a quick search of the flat, Danny realized Harry must've left.

And he felt… lonely.

Huffing at his stupid sensitivity, Danny found his jeans and pulled out his mobile. Within few seconds, he was able to connect.

"Hey Doug? You up for a trip out tonight? I don't know… I was thinking maybe PlusMinus? I know we just went last week but I like it there… yeah? Sweet! Want me to pick you up? How about around nine o'clock? Nice, mate. I'll see you then."

Danny hung up, feeling slightly better. All he needed was a good night out. Maybe he'd get a little buzzed and find himself a new girl – maybe a brunette this time? Or he could be a little adventurous and go for a redhead?

Yeah, a redhead sounded good.

**McFlYiNgHiGh** – You had a right thought not to trust Jason Mason! Look at what he did to our poor Danny! Naughty naughty lol. But anyway, Danny's character is strangely depressing for the first parts of this story. He IS using girls (all consenting!) to fill the void he feels in his heart. It's slightly deep for him haha. And good on you for figuring out who D.K. is – she's probably one of my favorites. I can't wait until she's actually IN the story! Hahah LOVE and TTYOT!

**Gnarley – **Haha yes, Danny got his phone back from Jason Mason. No need to worry! Lmao. Anyway, you picked up on something I thought NO ONE would! Especially not THIS early in the story! I'll let you go back and read your review if you forget what you said because I don't want to spoil it incase people are reading. But… just good job! Hahahaha. Anyway, thank you and I'm glad you like it! Peace!

**Abby1234 – **Wow – thank you SO much! I'm flattered to hear that you think my writing is that good! I get all flustered whenever someone says anything like that haha. I seriously appreciate it! And the Danny in this story IS kind of sad – in a pitying kind of way. He'll figure himself out eventually =]

**Ashh – **Haha I'm glad you like the way I've pegged Danny. It may not be him SPOT on (because he _is _in a committed relationship now…) but he's definitely got enough of a player in him for this story to be possible lol. And thank you for the compliment =] I'm very appreciative of any kind things my readers say. I take them straight to heart! Peace lovely!

**Fortheloveofafan – **Thank you! I wasn't quite sure about the opening for that chapter at first because I wasn't sure if it actually carried out his boredness enough, but I'm glad you enjoyed it! That definitely boosts my confidence! You're being very kind! Anyway, thank you SO much and peace! =]


	4. Chapter 4

**I almost COMPLETELY forgot to post a chapter today! Thankfully someone tweeted me just in time haha. Anyway, here you go! Enjoy!**

He was in _so much _trouble. There was no way to measure the quantity of trouble he was in. It was incalculable. All he knew was that he would be lucky to escape with his ears still intact.

He was a royal screw-up. Why couldn't he just do something right for once in his life? Tom had told him _multiple _times to be at the studio for noon. So _why _could he just do that?

He looked down at the clock in his car as he sped dangerously on the highway.

_12:53_

He was so, _so_ dead.

"I'M HERE! I'm here, _I'm here_! I'm sorry and I'm here!" Danny cried as soon as he entered the room, holding his hands up in the air as if a gun was pointed straight at him and he had to bargain for his life.

"Where _have _you _been_?"

It was weird how much Tom Fletcher's voice sounded like Molly Weasley's when she was yelling at her kids for doing something wrong. Danny nearly smiled at the similarity. He couldn't catch himself in time.

"WHY ARE YOU SMILING?" Tom's eyes were wide in disbelief.

"I'm not – I'm sorry! I-"

"We couldn't do ANY harmonies without you, and Dougie and Harry already finished up the backing music! We've been sitting her for an hour wasting time! Dan, do you just not care enough to grace us with your presence? We _need _you Danny! And you need to remember that!" Tom face almost looked hurt as he sighed and picked up his guitar, which made Danny feel even guiltier.

"I know, I suck _so_ much guys I'm sorry. I'm here now, right? That's what matters, yeah?" Danny bit his lip, looking around at his band mates. Dougie and Harry were sitting on the couch next to each other with their arms crossed identically over their chests, neither of their expressions pleased. It was creepy how similar they appeared.

"Yeah fine... but you owe us. Get in there and start singing. If you don't sound beautiful I'm going to actually kick your ass," Tom grumbled, causing Danny to grin.

He was lucky his friends were easily forgiving. It wasn't like this was the first time he'd shown up late to an all-band rehearsal. And they even knew the reason for his tardiness, despite the fact that it was never actually spoken allowed.

"So was she good?" Harry asked as Danny exited the vocal booth nearly an hour and a half later, his throat sore but pleased with the melodies he'd produced.

"So, _so _good," Danny grinned widely as he took a seat on the couch.

"You should've seen her, mate," Dougie said to Harry from the other end of the sofa. "She was like a super model version of Kelly Osborne. No joke. She could've had any guy in the club and why on earth she decided to settle with Danny Jones the world will never know," the young bassist giggled as Danny rolled his eyes.

"I don't know what you're talking about. If I was a girl I'd want to get with me," Danny shrugged as if it was obvious.

"Do you hear the things that come out of your mouth?" Harry asked, his eyes disbelieving.

"What? Are you saying that if you were a girl, you wouldn't want to get with me?" Danny asked, almost offended.

"Yes. That is exactly what I'm saying." Danny couldn't tell if Harry was being sarcastic.

"Speaking of which, Dan, I know this Italian girl who is visiting my friend for the week. Want me to introduce you to her?" Danny glanced over at Ricky, their producer, who was sitting at the mixing board and working on Danny's vocals. "She's hot, too," he added.

"Well I'd be delighted to show the girl a good time then," he agreed, getting excited.

"Danny, Danny, Danny…" Tom laughed from his spot across the room.

"Will their ever be an end to your insatiable libido?" Harry asked, punching Danny's shoulder.

"What's that?" He asked, wishing they'd stop making fun of him in ways that he didn't understand. Instead, they all just burst out laughing making him even more frustrated.

"Whatever. Hey, Ricky, what's that girl's number? I'll give her a call when we're all done here," Danny tried to change the subject, taking out his phone so he could add it to his contacts.

"Give me a sec. I just need to finish up this one bit…" Ricky didn't even turn his head away from the board.

"Danny, you don't know anything about this girl apart from the fact that she's hot. How do you know you'll even like her?" Harry asked, all of the previous humor gone and a serious look upon his face.

"That doesn't really matter, does it? She's good looking, so that's good enough, right?" Danny replied, glancing at his band mates.

"Yeah but is that like… enough for _forever_? I mean, don't you ever just want to stick with… one girl, you know, eventually?" Dougie asked, crinkling his nose.

"Yeah maybe eventually… like really far away from now…" Danny thought about it.

Really, _really _far away from now was more like it.

"Do you even know what kind of girl you'd like?" Dougie asked, still curious.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, like, personality and all that stuff. I know that I'll eventually want to settle down with a chick that likes animals. And I'm not talking about those crazy ones that poor creepy things on people who wear fur – just someone that will love my lizards and my dogs as much as I do," Dougie was grinning at the thought.

"Yeah, and as for me I like girls who stand up for themselves. Girls who can voice their opinion and then back it up like a hundred and ten percent always rock," Harry added as Danny listened and pondered the things that he liked in girls. Most of them were ascetics.

"For me… I like girls who I can just hang out with, almost like she's one of the guys. I like it when we can just sit in each other's presence and not even need to talk. That's why Gi and I are so compatible, I think. She's one of my best friends," Tom joined the conversation, adding in his own perspective.

They all turned to Danny, as if expecting him to randomly start rambling about all the things he would love in a woman. He just sat there, staring back.

"Um… yeah, all those things are what I want to. Just someone I can connect with, I guess," Danny tried to fool his friends but he could tell from their expressions that they didn't buy it.

"Seriously, you don't think about that stuff?" Tom asked, almost worryingly.

"Well, of course I do. But I don't… I don't want to put too much thought into it now, do I? I mean, right now I just kind of want to live life… not think about what could happen in the future. If anything happens I'll just… let it happen."

The truth was that Danny didn't think he could really connect with any type of girl. He thought about an animal lover, like the one Dougie would hopefully end up with one day, and realized she would probably bore him. He thought about the outspoken, strong woman that Harry liked and knew that they would never be able to tolerate one another. And then Tom's "best friend" idea… well… Danny just couldn't picture it. Not in a million years could he hang out with a girl like he was hanging out with one of the guys.

And, for some reason, that thought terrified him.

**Gnarley** – Yes you're REALLY observant! I snuck that little "Danny" bit in there to see if anyone would pick up on it, but I wasn't going to mention it again haha. If I could offer you a prize I would! And yeah, Danny and reporters usually don't mix! Hahaha especially with his promiscuous attitude in this fic! But oh well, he'll learn eventually! Anyway, thank you very much! Peace love!

**Abby1234 – **Haha if only Danny knew that what he NEEDED was to get his life together and settle down! He thinks he's living his life JUST fine. But I'm sure if he settled down with you you'd straighten him out perfectly =] hahaha. Anyway, thank you dear! Peace!

**mcflyXlove – **Thank you so much! I'm glad you're enjoying it so much! And you're RIGHT on your D.K. presumption. Very good sleuthing! Not many people have picked up on it yet but that's okay. You're all not really supposed to know until like… chapter 8 or something like that haha. I can't really remember XD anyway, thank you again! Peace lovely!

**Tigerlily1221 – **I've missed you so much dear! I understand about the constant reviewing though – I think I've NEVER constantly reviewed a story! I'm such a horrible reader! Haha anyway, I'm glad you like it! You're too kind – peace lovely!

**Kaylee – **Hahaha if only Danny had you around to tell him exactly what he's feeling. It IS loneliness! Poor little guy. And you're such a good reader! You've picked up on the whole D.K. thing – more people are starting to see that, I guess. I REALLY thought no one would notice but I guess I totally underestimated my readers haha. Congrats! Anyway, thank you SO much! Peace love!

**x-xmcflymaniacx-x – **Hello dear! I'm so glad you like my stories! And I TOTALLY get what you mean about the Harry/Danny and Harry/Snape/Ron hitting sessions. I think that's in the fourth movie because they're trying to figure out who to ask to the Yule Ball (I'm a slight Harry Potter freak. Ask me a question and I will definitely know the answer haha) anyway, I'm happy you're excited and there's definitely more to come! Peace honey!


	5. Chapter 5

**Here you go everyone! Thank you all for having such an interest in this story! I know it's kind of kicking off slow, but I promise D.K. appears more. Can't have the story without her!**

"You know… your name fits you perfectly. Bella means beautiful in Italian, right?" Danny asked as he forked another mouthful of spaghetti in his mouth, looking at the drop dead gorgeous girl across from him. Ricky had been right – she was _hot_.

"Yes, yes, you are right. But Italian is a romance language. Everything is beautiful," she blushed, her accent heavily influencing her words and forcing Danny to listen attentively.

"Everything most _definitely_ is beautiful," Danny smiled pointedly, causing her to blush even more. He had this in the bag.

They finished their meal and Danny asked for the check, ready to get out of the restaurant. He was debating inwardly with himself – could he break his one rule?

Bella reached for her water and took a small sip through her straw. Just watching her lips gracefully take a drink sent Danny overboard.

"Would you like to come back to my place? Maybe you could teach me more about the Italian language," Danny tried to be smooth and improvise. He had no lines planned for inviting girls to his flat because he'd never done it before. It was almost like being a teenager again.

But Tom had got him thinking. He didn't like this new, weird loneliness that he'd been feeling. And maybe the first step towards making himself feel better would be to break his number one rule: never letting girls in his flat.

Bella's lips formed a small, elegant smile. Her dark honey colored eyes met his for a few seconds, almost like she was reading his thoughts and searching for his true intentions.

"That sounds lovely, but I will have to say no for tonight. Maybe we could meet for lunch and we could discuss your interests with the language then," she was so formal with her denial, Danny almost didn't understand at first.

"No? But Bella, I-" How was he supposed to continue? He'd never been turned down before.

"I am very sorry, Danny-" she began before he interrupted her.

"Bella, I've… never done this before. No one has ever made me feel like… the way _you _make me feel… please, lets just spend a little more time together?" Danny bargained, giving her half-truths.

"But Danny, I did not come to England to form a relationship. I came to learn and to practice my English. I am leaving Sunday. You should control your feelings and not grow attached for I am not permanent here." She was shutting him down. _She _was shutting _him_, Danny Jones, down.

"We don't have to form a… a relationship. We can live in the moment, you know? We can do what we naturally-"

"Danny, are you… _asking me to have sex with you?_" Bella lowered her voice, her eyes wide in surprise.

"Um… well…" she was way too forward. Did she _really _want the answer?

"You are! Danny Jones, you are expecting _too_ much from me tonight. I am sorry, but I must leave. Thank you very much for your kindness and for the meal. It was delicious but I am afraid that I do not think we should see each other again. Good bye," she rushed, standing up from her seat and quickly walking towards the door. She whipped a cell phone out of her handbag and dialed a number before rapidly speaking very hushed Italian.

How the hell had he messed _that _up? She was perfect! How could he have been such an idiot? She was so beautiful and she just… slipped through his fingers. Almost like she didn't… _want _him. This was just too weird.

The waiter came back with his credit card and an apologetic look on his face once he noticed the empty seat. Danny didn't want his sympathy.

"She's out waiting in the car," Danny lied before hurriedly leaving the restaurant. Bella was nowhere to be seen and the car he'd noticed her drive there in was now gone. She'd actually left _him_.

Danny got in his car and drove home, thinking about the strangeness of the last few days. He didn't like the way they were going. He needed things to go back to the way they were – when he could pick up any girl he wanted, have her in bed within an hour, and then leave to go find someone else.

This… _sad_ feeling wasn't cutting it. It needed to go.

Danny arrived home, stripped down to his boxers, and climbed in bed, wanting to just fall asleep and dream of nothing important. Tomorrow things would get better… Tomorrow everything would go back to being easy… Tomorrow… he would… be happier… Tomorrow…

_He was running. There was a football between his feet and he was running towards the goals. They were left open – defenseless! All he had to do was keep running and get there before she did. Only a couple more feet!_

_ "Haha! Take… THAT!" Suddenly the black and white ball wasn't between his feet anymore and a tall body with black hair went whizzing by him. He stopped, confused for half a second, before turning on his feet and darting in the opposite direction, trying to regain possession. _

_ He was better at scoring than she was. But she was always faster than him. They tied almost every game. _

_ "Haha! Nothing can get by Master D.J! Come on – just try it!" Danny had darted in front of her to guard the goal. He watched her leg swing back, ready to take the shot, and BAM he caught the ball right before it went passed the science books they were using as goal post. He landed on the ground in a huff. _

_ "What? No fair! This goal is smaller than the one over there – come on, give me the point!" D.K's face was shocked as she tried to claim a goal._

_ "We measured the goal posts! It's not smaller! Come on, take it like a man!" Danny laughed, jumping up from the ground and wiping off his shorts. _

_ "Like a man, huh?" D.K. was suddenly right in front of him, her eyes daring him to say it again. _

_ And of course, Danny welcomed the challenge. _

_ "Yeah – like a man! Stop whining and keep playing- Omphh!" He held his arm to his body, trying to shake off the pain running through his muscles. She always had a pretty strong the right hook, though he would never admit it to her._

_ "Take it like a _man, _Jones," she growled, stomping away from him and picking up her books at the other goal. He massaged his arm as he watched her shove the books in her backpack and stalk away from their makeshift football field. _

_ "D.K! D.K. I'm sorry! Come back – don't be like this! Just – would you just _wait _a second!" Danny scrambled around, picking up his books and bag as he trudged after her, annoyed. He knew he was in trouble when she called him "Jones". _

_ "Just go home, Jones. I've got homework-"_

_ "No you don't! We've got the same classes!" Danny cut her off, not wanting to hear her try to shut him out. _

_ "Well then I'm sure you need to go call David or Chris or Mark or something," she was throwing out names now, not even bothering to look at him as he struggled to right his backpack and keep up with her at the same time. _

_ "Why would I need to call any of those idiots?" Danny asked, completely confused by her sudden coldness. This had nothing to do with football. _

_ "Why not try Andrew? Or Peter? Or how about _Elizabeth_?" D.K. said the girl's name with such malice in her voice that Danny was taken aback. Where on earth had this anger came from?_

_ Danny grabbed her shoulder and forced her to a stop. He had finally gotten taller than her – she had dwarfed him by nearly two inches for quite some time – and he stared down at her with seriousness in his eyes. _

_ "D.K., talk to me. What's going on?" He hated it when she was mad at him. _

_ "Nothing, just leave me alone-"_

_ "Hey! Don't do that! Seriously, you're all pissed and I've got no idea why. You can have the point if you really want it. It doesn't even matter," Danny tried to reason with her, hoping to calm her down _

_ "No, that's not it I just…" she paused and looked up at him for a few seconds causing a strange feeling in his gut to explode. Her eyes widened, almost like she could feel it too. "I just… do you want to go get some Mars Bars?" she sighed, sounding defeated. Danny quirked an eyebrow, totally lost, but agreed. _

_ They purchased their sweets from Old Billy, and D.K. carried their two Mars Bars in a small white paper bag while Danny bought a little liquorish for her mother. _

_ "Race you back to my place?" D.K. grinned shyly, almost like an apology. _

_ "You're on," Danny replied, smiling as well. _

_ Some things never changed. _

Danny woke up the next morning to the sound of his phone buzzing on his bedside table. He clumsily tried to grab it, detangling himself from his cool sheets in order to reach the small humming device in time.

_"Hello?" _He croaked, his voice still grainy from his long sleep. He coughed, trying to smooth it out. "Mum? Oh, how are you? I'm fine, just doing the same old, same old. How's Vicky?"Danny and his mother chatted about his sister and what was new in her life. His mother always had a tendency to call at the strangest of times and talk for hours. She'd confided in Danny that it was because she'd been getting lonely living up in Bolton, so Danny found it very hard to turn her phone calls away.

"Visit? Mum, I'd love to but I don't know if now is a good time. The guys and I have been rehearsing the new stuff and…"Danny cut his excuse short as he stared out the window next to his bed. Cars were speeding by on the road below, people rushing on with their lives. Danny wanted to slow his life down – maybe even turn it around. And what better way than to be pampered by his mother?

"Actually mum, I'd love to visit. I could try to catch a train tomorrow morning, and be there around noon. How does that sound?"Her pleased gasp of excitement was enough to assure him that he had made the right choice.

"All right, that sounds great. I'm just going to call the guys and let them know I can't make it to the studio for the next couple of days, okay? Yup, love you, too. Bye!" Danny hung up smiling. A small getaway was exactly what he needed.

**x-xmcflymaniacx-x** – Haha yeah that reminder tweet was definitely from you! Last Monday I COMPLETELY forgot what day it was and then you oh-so wonderfully sent me a lovely tweet just about the story. So basically you saved me last week! Hahaha. Anyway, I'm glad you like my little Harry Potter references. I have to hold one back every time I type Harry Judd's name. It's just so close! Haha anyway, thanks lovely!

**Gnarley – **Hahah yeah, let's blame the lateness of their new album on Danny! It's all his fault! And the only way he can make it better is if he gives us the new album for free! (I know, I'm dreaming…) And I'm glad you enjoyed the Harry Potter reference in the last chapter! I try to sneak them in wherever I can =] And I LOVE Tom and Gi! I always have SUCH a hard time writing Tom fics because I just _know _that he belongs with Gi. They're basically made for each other! Haha but anyway, thank you so much dear! Peace!

**Peacelovebookx107 – **Yeah, no one loves Danny apart from like a million girls all over the world. Poor him! Haha anddddd the leading lady is kind of a quiet yet VERY important role in this fic. She was mentioned in this chapter, so that's good right? I can't remember if she in the next one or not (I should probably know this…) but she's going to be appearing a lot more now. Thank you for staying patient! Peace lovely!

**Kaylee – **Hahahaha I'm glad you enjoyed Harry and Danny's banter! It made me giggle a little bit too. I'll help you out a little bit on your search for more D.K. information: she's TOTALLY fictional. So she's no one famous or actually related to Danny in anyway. She's a little character I've had in my head for some time and decided that it was a good time for her to come out lol. She'll be appearing a little bit more now that the story has finally kicked off! OH and totally off track, the first time I read your name as "kylee" I was like "Is this person named Kyle and they just wanted the extra E or something?" hahaha. So I'm glad that it's all cleared up! Thanks lovely!

**ashh – **I'm glad you like the weekly updates! I've never done it like this before and I kind of like it too! And it's fine that you weren't able to review – don't worry about it at all! As long as you like what you're reading I'm happy! Haha anyway, I've tried to get Danny's character as close to the real thing as possible, though I obviously know that it's like impossible to get a TOTALLY Danny character. Thank you for the compliment though! I'm quite proud of him XD… and YES! More D.K. is on the way! She's been kind of a silent character but she'll start popping up a bit more. Anyway, thanks lovely!

**Fortheloveofafan – **Aw, thank you dear! I try my best to get each of the McFly boys' characters as close to the real thing as possible, but I'm not sure I'm QUITE there. But anyway, thank you for your kind words! And I PROMISE all your D.K. questions will be answered in time. I don't want to give anything away too early! But she'll be appearing more now so just stay tuned and everything will come together! Peace lovely!

**Dani6531 – **I'm very happy you like it! All your little comments had me giggling haha. I just randomly checked my email and it said I had five new review notifications and I was like "hellloooooooo?" haha. And if I may branch off topic completely to your review for Tom's story, I'm glad you understand! If my inspiration comes back I'll absolutely start it up again. But for now I think I'm focusing on this fic and another one that I'm currently writing featuring Harry. But more on that later! Anyway, thank you VERY much my dear! Hope you like this! Peace =]


	6. Chapter 6

**AHHH! I'm sorry this almost didn't make it up! I was out today and got home later than I thought! I'M SO SORRY!**

"So we'll see you in a few days, right?" Tom asked as he pulled up to the train station, trying to search the lot for a close place to park.

"Absolutely. And you'll have the old Danny back and everything."

"Old Danny? What are you talking about?" Tom asked, slightly humored.

"Well, I think you were right a couple days ago when you mentioned that maybe I needed some time off from the ladies. They're getting to my head, man. I need some nice, relaxing Danny Time and some lovely pampering from Mama Jones to recoup and get back in the swing of things," Danny explained as they pulled into a spot and exited Tom's Mini Cooper. Tom helped Danny yank his small black suitcase out of the back seat before replying.

"I hope that you're able to figure out whatever is messing you up, then. But just remember that change isn't _necessarily_ a bad thing, okay?" Tom suggested lightly as he walked with Danny to the station's entrance.

"Yeah, I know, I know. Anyway, thanks for the lift. I'll see you in three days, all right?" Danny said to his band mate before they engaged in the manly hold-hands-and-bump-each-other's-shoulders-while-clapping-each-other-on-the-back hug. Tom disappeared back to his car leaving Danny to navigate his way to the correct platform. When he'd finally found it he was surprised to see the area loaded with about two-dozen teenage girls.

Danny had almost forgotten that Tom liked to express their activities on the popular social networking site, Twitter. He must've announced that he was dropping Danny off.

After Danny signed autographs, posed for pictures, and thanked them all for coming, he sent the gaggle of girls on their way and boarded his train. He looked for a compartment occupied by the least amount of people before finally taking his seat.

Danny usually enjoyed taking the train up north. It was much more relaxing than driving and gave him time to take a nap or write some lyrics during the journey. It was just the beginning of his much needed Danny Time.

Danny rested his head on the window as the train finally left the station. He pulled his Ipod out and played one of his calming playlists, trying to coax himself into a nap for an hour or so.

Well, he was planning on it until someone bumped his shoulder.

"Oh, excuse me – Oh, dude I think I saw you on the platform. You were the one signing autographs and stuff, right?" Danny was looking up at a guy roughly his own age that had spoken with a strong American accent. The guy looked impressed.

"Uh, yeah that was me," he replied awkwardly.

"Are you some kind of actor or something?"

"Um, no I'm in a band," Danny replied, wishing he could put his Ipod headphones back in and block the guy out. But he didn't want to be rude.

"Anyone I've heard of?"

"We're called McFly."

"Oh… Sorry, I'm new to the area and I don't really know much about England so…"

"Don't worry about it. No offence taken," Danny chuckled, hoping that it was the end of their conversation.

The other guy wasn't thinking along the same lines.

"So… dude, you just have like… a bunch of girls following you around all the time?" The guy seemed eager to hear about Danny's groupies. Just like the rest of the world.

"Well not _all _the time," Danny replied, trying his hardest not to sound hot headed. "Normally I only get recognized when I'm with one of my band mates. But some of our fans found out I was heading to my hometown and they came to say hello." Danny thought he'd handled answering the guy's question without sounding like a jerk pretty well.

"Does that happen a lot? Fans following you and stuff? Actually, dude are you some like, big-shot? Am I randomly meeting a British celeb right now?" The man seemed to be in his own world.

"Uhh…" Danny responded, not quite sure what to say, "Our fans are great. They're really supportive and we like to connect with them as much as we can." Danny thought he almost sounded like Tom, who was normally there to answer these types of questions.

"Dude, that's _awesome_. I wish I were talented enough to be in a band. You must get a _ton _of girls!"

Danny couldn't help the small smile creeping up his face. He couldn't deny it, could he? The American caught on quickly and started laughing, causing Danny to laugh as well.

At that point, Danny didn't really care about secluding himself to his music world. He sort of enjoyed the conversation with the American on the long journey. Having company wasn't as annoying as Danny thought it would be.

"So what are you doing all the way over here, anyway? Visiting or something?" Danny asked an hour or so later.

"Studying, actually. I've been working on my psychology degree for a while and I just got an internship with a psychiatric hypnotist. His office is in London, and that's where I'll be staying, but I thought that I should do a bit of sight-seeing before I start all the hard work," the guy, who Danny had found out was named Jeremy, explained excitedly.

"That's pretty awesome. But you're doing sightseeing up north? Mate, you do realize that London is where most of the sights are at, right?" Danny laughed jokingly.

"Yeah but I'll have a year to look at that stuff. But Liverpool? Beatles mania? How can I be in England and _not _go there?" Jeremy replied rhetorically.

"You've got a point. And if Liverpool is your destination then I recommend the Magical Mystery Tour. Every other sentence is a Beatles reference."

"Really? Awesome, I'll totally look into it."

"And while you're there, try to watch a football – oh, I mean a soccer game-" Jeremy cut Danny off before he could finish.

"Dude, I'm on your turf now. Call it football and I'll catch on eventually," he smiled lightly. Danny chuckled, liking the guy even more.

They chatted for a little bit longer until Jeremy's station was coming up. After he was collecting his things from the compartment above his seat, he took out a small card and handed it to Danny.

"Hit me up when you're back in London. Show me the top spots, all right?" Jeremy said after Danny read the business card.

"Yeah, for sure. Have fun on your holiday, mate!" Danny called as his new friend exited the train.

Left alone to his own thoughts, Danny had the sudden urge to finally succumb to the nap he'd meant to take once he got on the train. He didn't really want to sleep when he was only thirty minutes away from his stop so he tried to fight off the exhaustion. First he counted down from one hundred, and then all the way back up again. Then he tried naming all the European countries and their capitals (but he didn't get very far). Finally, he tried counting each song on his Ipod but, kind of like counting sheep, all the counting sent him to sleep.

_Danny's entire face felt like it was leaking gooey liquid and there was nothing he could do to stop it, no matter how many soft tissues his mother threw at him. He tried to stop the sneezing and the coughing but no matter how much he repressed them, they inevitably made their way out. _

_ "You don't look so good D.J…" Danny tried to open his eyes and see his visitor, but tears that had nothing to do with sadness and everything to do with the common cold, spilled over his eyelids and blurred his vision. _

_ "I feeb breely bad…" Danny grumbled out as his friend approached his bed. _

_ "My dad says I shouldn't see you right now, because you're… con-contingance? I don't know what he meant… but I wanted to bring you a present," D.K.'s youthful voice filled his ears and he watched her body move towards his bed. She carefully picked up his right hand (the one without the tissue glued to it) and dropped a plastic wrapped rectangle in it. _

_ "A Mards Bar?" Danny asked, smiling slightly._

_ "Yeah. You know they always make me feel better, so I thought they'd make you smile. See?" She was giggling as Danny's smile widened. Her little gift made him feel best he'd felt over the last few days. It had little to do with the Mars Bar, though. He was just touched that she'd thought of him enough to buy him a gift. _

_ "Dank you, D.K," Danny grinned as he ripped the paper back. He went to take a bite before he was stilled by a sudden thought. "Hey, could dou do me a fabor?" _

_ "Sure, what do you need?"_

_ "Here, I hab a lil' pocket modey lefb. Would dou ged your mum some liqourisd forb me?" Danny reached over to his bedside table and took his last three coins out of his tiny ceramic football bowl. _

_ "You keep your money, D.J. I have a little left and can go-"_

_ "No, use mined. Pleasde?" Danny held out the coins for her to take, and sighed happily when she did. _

"BOLTON TRAIN STATION" Danny jolted away at the sound of the intercom crackling the name of his stop. Without thinking he jumped to his feet and hit his head on the over-head compartment that was holding his luggage. He was still massaging his temple as he exited the train and looked for his mother's car.

"Danny!" He looked to his right to see his short, beautiful blonde mother running towards him with her arms stretched out wide. He let the handle of his suitcase go and welcomed her hug. No one could deny a hug from his mum.

"Hey, mum!" Danny chuckled as she squeezed him to near breathlessness, despite her small stature.

"I've missed you so much! We must never let four months go buy without a visit, okay?" She was squeezing him again.

"Okay, I promise! Here, lets go," he wrapped his arm around her shoulders and they walked to the parking lot together. He hopped in the family's old Mini Van and his mother drove him through town back to their little cottage. There was a young boy within him somewhere that was giddy to be home.

"Go put your stuff down and I'll put the kettle on. Go on – go!" She ushered him through the doorway and passed their kitchen. He laughed quietly at her excitement as he walked through the living room, passed the worn blue sofa and the coffee table laden with photo albums, up the sturdy wooden stairs and through the door of his childhood bedroom.

It always felt refreshing to come home.

Danny went back downstairs and was greeted by a warm cup of tea and a plate of cookies. He couldn't stop his smile growing wider.

"Come, have a seat. We've got so much to catch up on!" His mother grinned, taking her own seat and patting the wooden bar stool next to her. Danny sat, sipped his tea and filled her in on everything that had been going on in his world.

"So, is there a… girl at all?" His mother asked, a small, teasing smile stretching across her cheeks.

Danny chuckled once before answering, "no, there isn't right now."

"Well that's just lovely!" His mother replied, looking genuinely happy for some reason. And that completely caught him off guard.

It wasn't like his mother wanted him to get married right then and there or something, but she always liked it when he had a steady girlfriend. So her response definitely took him by surprise. She must've actually been going crazy.

So he thought it best to change the subject.

"Anyway… what's for dinner? I mean, I won't complain if it's cookies-"

"You're not having dinner here," his mother cut him off, the same crazy smile plastered on her face.

"Okay… what?"

"Well… don't get mad at me, okay?" She met his gaze and his heart sank.

"Oh no, mum, no. Please, no-"

"Wait, you haven't even heard-"

"You didn't, right? Please tell me you didn't!"

"A woman from my office has a single daughter and I thought that maybe you two would like to meet up tonight! What's wrong with a mother taking an interest in her son's social life? Nothing, that's what! Now you will go tonight with a smile on your face and be _happy about it_!" She even had that motherly tone; the one that told Danny that this was happening. There was no getting out of it.

"Mum it's my first night back!" Danny tried to argue, but to no avail.

"And you'll be spending it with a pretty young lady. Now go get yourself cleaned up. You're meeting her at Saint McIntire's."

"Isn't that place kind of expensive?" His mother just gave him a look and he knew that there would be no more discussion.

Yeah, it always felt _refreshing _to come home…

**Kaylee** – Haha she's not well known at all! I made her up! She's my leading female role in this story. Though she's barely appeared yet haha. As the story picks up she'll be showing up more. Right now I'm biding my time freaking Danny out. Everything comes together more towards the end! Annddd I'm glad you like my responses! I absolutely LOVE talking to my readers and I feel really flattered with every review I get and I feel like I can't thank you all enough! Haha – I'm just glad people like my writing! Anyway, thank you very much!

**Gnarley** – I LOVED A VERY POTTER SEQUEL! I am ridiculously in LOVE with the guy who plays Harry. I've got all his songs on my ipod! Hahah and I didn't even relate it to Mama Umbridge. What a clever little observation! Hahaha anyway, I'm glad you liked it! Danny had to get shot down at least ONCE in his life XD anyway, thank you dear!

**Banana Rok** – Oh yeah, Danny's attitude towards women isn't very acceptable. I'd like to think that he's more respectable than this in real life (though there WAS all that drama about the Miss Universe thing… hahaha). Anyway, I'm glad you like it! Peace lovely!

**Fortheloveofafan** – I don't really know if I have a good enough story in me to do a whole thing JUST on Danny and D.K.'s childhood. I mean, I could TRY it but I don't know how far I could take it! THIS story is kind of about their childhood. Just wait until it picks up a little bit more and you'll see it lol. Anyway, I'm glad you like it! Peace lovely!

**Dani6531** – Hahah I'm very proud of Bella! She was very self aware and I feel like she'd be an interesting person to meet. I wanted to make her voice heard to the reader, know what I mean? I just really liked her character XD anyway, Danny IS a typical man! Going home to see mummy when everything gets hard! Such a momma's boy! But so understandable XD anyway, thank you deary!

**McflyXlove** – It's completely fine! Are you okay? Hope everything is well… health issues can suck BIG TIME, so I hope everything is going all right. Anyway, don't take TOO much offense to Danny being bored by lizard lovers. I LOVE them too (have a bearded dragon! LOVE him to death!) but I think in this story Danny thinks he'd be bored because he couldn't really connect with an animal lover, know what I mean? You'll probably understand this after the story is over lmao. Sorry! I keep forgetting the rest of the story isn't up yet! XD anyway, thank you dear! Peace!

**PrettyinPunk93 **– I'm really glad you like it! The idea just sort of came to me! You'll find more out about his childhood later – I PROMISE. It plays a megasuperawesomelyhuge role lol. And D.K. will have a bigger role in this as the story picks up. Probably around the… eighth chapter? I think that's when lol. Anyway, thank you lovely!


	7. Chapter 7

**Here you go loves! Another weekly update! I just want to get this whole story UP! Hahah I'm so impatient. I was thinking… if you guys are up to it… should I update every Monday and every _Friday _too? Because I want this story to pick up! And I've got twenty-two chapters total!**

**Let me know what you think!**

Danny sat in incredible boredom at a small, secluded, two-person table at Saint McIntire's restaurant. His "date" still hadn't shown up yet and was running nearly twenty minutes late. Danny was going to give her another five minutes before he gave up and went home. This was definitely not how he wanted to spend his holiday.

"Are you sure you don't want to order anything while you wait? Want me to bring you another beer?" The friendly voice of his waitress asked, smiling down at him with pity. She'd stopped by nearly every five minutes and asked him the same thing every time.

"No, I'm fine, thanks. But if my date doesn't show up in the next five minutes just bring me the check, please," Danny instructed, not even bothering to look her in the eye.

"Sure, no problem," she agreed before leaving him alone once again.

Maybe coming back to Bolton was a mistake. All he wanted to do was take a break and have some alone time. But his mother was always so desperate to get him in a relationship – would she be setting him up for the rest of his stay? He could have gone _anywhere _on holiday and he just had to choose to go home. Why on earth was he so stupid? He could've gone to Italy… or to Liverpool with the Jeremy guy. At least then he wouldn't feel pressured into-

"Danny? Danny Jones? Hey, I'm Camille. I'm _so _sorry I'm late! I hope I haven't kept you waiting too long!" Danny looked up from the white tablecloth when a small curly haired brunette sat down across from him. She was wearing a fitting red dress and… black converses.

Danny suddenly perked up. For some reason, her lack of formality made him relax.

"It's fine, don't worry about it. Was there traffic or something?" He asked as she situated herself across from him.

"No, it was just that…" she trailed off, looking at him before blushing a faint red color. "I was… well I was with my boyfriend," she finally sighed, biting her lip nervously as Danny stared at her in confusion.

So… _what _was he doing here?

"I totally get it if you're pissed off or something, but my mum _really _doesn't like my boyfriend and she's tried setting me up on so many dates to get me to leave him but…" she trailed off, turning pink again.

"Don't worry, I get it. Actually… I think I'm kind of relieved," Danny said as he felt a light weight lift off his shoulders.

"Relieved? Oh, are you gay or something?" She asked, her tone understanding.

"What? No! No, I'm not gay," Danny chuckled at her guess. "I actually wanted to come up here for a little vacation… I was getting a bit overwhelmed with everything. I wasn't really looking for a date or anything… so I guess it works out that you're already taken," Danny rambled as he tried to explain why he felt the way he did.

"Well that makes sense. Honestly, when my boyfriend found out that my mum set me up with Danny Jones he was positive that this would definitely be the end. That's why I was late; I spent the last thirty minutes or so trying to convince him that I wouldn't jump on a train and head back to London with you… no offence or anything," she tacked on, an apologetic look on her face.

"I feel kind of bad that he was worrying so much…" Danny had never felt that protective of a girl before, but he knew that he wouldn't like being in the man's situation.

"He's okay… I _think_," Camille said.

Danny felt a weird emotion rising up in his stomach. It wasn't right that Camille's mother wanted to separate her daughter's relationship. It was obvious to Danny, who had only known her for a minute, that she truly cared for her boyfriend. The whole situation was awaking some new feeling in him that he hadn't really felt before. It was envy.

"Tell you what," Danny said as a sudden thought occurred to him. "Call your boyfriend. Tell him to come to the restaurant and meet you here. I'll pay for the meal as a treat. That way we both get what we want. You get a date with your boyfriend and I… don't have to go on a date," Danny chuckled at the end, meeting her shocked eyes.

"You don't have to do that! He's fine, really. Charlie is just worrying and I know you won't try anything so-"

"Seriously, it's no problem. Call him up and see if he can come. I can't imagine him saying no."

"Danny, are you sure? This is – this is really generous of you!"

"I'm positive. Give him a ring." She looked him in the eyes for a few seconds before whipping her phone out of her bag and quickly dialing a number. Danny gave her some privacy by slipping to the bathroom for a few minutes. When he returned, she was beaming.

"He says he's on his way right now! This is an incredibly nice thing for you to do, Danny." Camille looked amazed by his generosity.

"It's seriously no problem. Don't worry about it."

"Is there anything I can do to repay you? Seriously, you name it and you got it!"

"Well… could you just tell your mum that we had fun, but we're just going to stay friends? That way when our mum's talk they'll hear the same story?" Danny asked, figuring that the lie was passable.

"You got it. I'll tell her you were a perfect gentleman!" Camille smiled as Danny gathered his things. He pulled out his wallet and handed her a few crisp bills.

"I'm not taking that!" She laughed, her eyes bulging at the sight of the money.

"Either you take it or I'll just hand it to the waitress. No matter what, your bill will be covered." Danny laughed at her reaction.

"I… you… You've already done so much! I seriously can't take your money," she shook her head, pushing his hand away.

"All right, I'll be right back," Danny left his coat on his chair while he went to find their waitress. He quickly spotted her behind the podium near the entrance.

"Excuse me?" Danny asked, tapping her shoulder. She spun around, surprised.

"Yes? Oh, I'm sorry! Did you need something?" She looked nervous.

"Well, I'm actually giving my reservation up to the girl sitting at my table. Would this be enough to cover a meal for two?" Danny asked, showing her the cash.

"Um… yeah, that would be enough to cover a meal for six," the waitress laughed.

"Great. Then you can keep whatever they don't spend as a tip. Thanks," Danny smiled, handing her the money before moving back to the table to grab his coat.

"Did you just… _seriously _do that? You're too awesome," Camille gaped. Danny just smiled in reply.

"Have fun, okay? And tell your boyfriend I say hello," Danny said before picking his coat up and leaving the restaurant with a final wave over his shoulder.

Danny felt extraordinarily good with himself as he got in his mum's car and began driving. He barely ever had the opportunity to help someone out in the way that he had helped Camille. He liked the proud feeling swimming around his chest. It made him want to sing.

He turned on the radio and drummed his fingers on his steering wheel as he waited at a traffic light. Danny slowly realized that he couldn't drive straight home; his mother would notice how quickly the date went. Where could he go to blow away the time?

And then his eyes fell upon a familiar corner store. It belonged to someone Danny had always referred to as Old Billy. Danny had found out in his teens that Old Billy and his wife couldn't have children, which was why they always treated the neighborhood kids as if they were their own. Danny remembered going there on a weekly basis with his pocket money and buying Mars Bars and… liquorish?

Why would he buy liquorish? He hated the stuff. But sure enough he remembered buying it every week. Danny knew he was forgetting something… there was more to the liquorish story… but he just couldn't place it.

How weird.

Danny decided to just drive around for a while listening to music before finally venturing home. When he figured enough time had passed he pulled into his mother's driveway, hoping that maybe when he got inside she'd be asleep.

Of course though, he was wrong.

"Danny! How was it? Did you two have fun?" His mother was in his face the moment he walked through the door.

"Um… yeah, she was really cool. I'm really tired though, so I'm going to go to bed, okay?" Danny escaped to his room and stripped off his clothes before jumping into bed. He deserved some good rest.

_Danny was getting impatient. He didn't like waiting. She was nearly twenty minutes late. What the heck was she doing?_

_ "Have you seen D.K?" Danny asked his friend Peter. _

_ "No. Ask John."_

_ "John, have you seen D.K?" Danny turned to his other friend, growing even more annoyed. Why didn't she just show up at the flagpole like she was supposed to? Why wasn't she waiting for him at the flag pole like normal? _

_ "D.K? Yeah, I last saw her talking to Elizabeth. Ask her."_

_ Danny huffed before running over to Elizabeth. _

_ "Elizabeth? Have you seen D.K. anywhere?" Danny asked, thoroughly annoyed now._

_ "Oh, no sorry. Haven't seen her at all today," Elizabeth smiled. "But you can walk home with me, if you want, D.J."_

_ "But John says he saw you talking to her?" Danny ignored her suggestion._

_ "I haven't seen her." Elizabeth replied shortly as her smile vanished from her face. Danny rolled his eyes before continuing on his search. _

_ He began calling her name as he roamed around the elementary school, walking the deserted halls in hopes of maybe finding her playing with a small bug in the corner, or talking to one of the teachers about some extra homework. _

_ Nothing. _

_ "D.K!" Danny shouted loudly, his annoyance slowly dissipating into worry. She always met him at the flagpole after school. Where did she go? Was she hurt? Did she get sick? _

_ And that was when he heard something. It was quiet, but prominent. It sounded like a weep - a moan. Someone was sobbing. And Danny recognized the sound, even though he never would have thought he'd ever hear it. It was unmistakably D.K. - and she was crying. _

_ Danny sprinted down the vacant hallway, trying to locate his friend. If she was hurt – if someone had hurt her. He was going to-_

_ He stopped outside the girl's bathroom. Her sobs were coming from the other side of the door. _

_ It was the_ girl's_ bathroom though. If any of the guys found out he went in there… he'd never live it down. _

_ But it was D.K… and she was _crying_._

_ Danny took a deep breath and pushed the door open. The walls were a fading pink color and lined with cream-colored stalls. There were white porcelain sinks opposite the stalls with rectangular mirrors placed above them. _

_ It was almost like the boys bathroom. It was a little bit better, actually. _

_ The sobbing stopped. Danny looking around trying to find his friend._

_ "D.K?" He said quietly, his heart beating quickly in his chest. What if she wasn't in here?_

_ He heard a hiccup and then the sobbing started all over again. He pinpointed the location to the stall at the very end of the room. He went over and knocked on the door. It was unlocked. _

_ The door swung open to reveal D.K. sitting with her knees to her chest on a closed toilet, her head in her hands and her long black hair falling all over the place. She didn't lift her head as Danny moved closer to her, unsure of what to do. He gingerly placed a hand on her shoulder and felt her shaking with sadness. _

_ "D.K… what happened?" Danny asked quietly, bending his knees so his face was at her level. His blue eyes met her swollen, puffy green ones and his heart burst. He sat on the floor, not caring that it was a bathroom and probably not clean, and looked up at her. _

_ "Why are you so sad? Did someone hurt you?" Danny asked, looking her over for cuts and bruises. She appeared to be completely fine. _

_ "It was… Elizabeth… she said…" D.K. hiccupped as her eyes filled with tears again. Danny's frown hardened when he heard Elizabeth's name. She'd always been kind of a bully to D.K. but Danny never thought his friend took it seriously. She'd always appeared so strong. _

_ "Don't listen to anything she says. You know that she's just jealous." Danny tried to comfort her. He took her small hand in his bigger one and squeezed it tight. After a few seconds she started to squeeze back. _

_ Her sobs slowly started to morph into silent tears. Danny stood up from his spot on the floor and hugged her. She hugged back and he watched as her tears stopped. _

_ "Hey, I'll tell you what," Danny began, a smile slowly spreading over his cheeks, "how about I buy you a Mars Bar? They're the best cure for anything! Remember when we were really little and you got me some when I was sick?" Danny asked as he helped her stand up. A small smile crept onto her face, but her eyes were still sad. Danny could tell. _

_ "You don't have to buy me anything. It's stupid. I shouldn't be crying. I don't know what came over me…"_

_ "It's not stupid. Come on, we're going to Old Billy's. I need to get your mum some more liquorish anyway," Danny led her out of the bathroom and into the hall. _

_ "D.J? D.K? Why were you _both _in the girls bathroom?" Danny's heart felt heavy as he turned around to see Peter, John and Elizabeth roaming the halls. _

_ "Why haven't you guys left yet? School is over," Danny avoided their question and D.K. hid her red eyes behind a curtain of hair. _

_ The three other kids didn't respond with words. Peter grinned as he pulled a small white carton out of his bag. _

_ "I stole them from my dad. Want one?" Peter held the box out for Danny to see. He frowned, disgusted. _

_ "Cigarettes? Aren't those bad for you?" Danny asked, confused. _

_ "What? Are you scared you'll get in trouble?" John asked, challenging him. Danny hated being called a coward but the moment he looked at D.K's face and saw her puffy eyes he shook his head and took her hand, pulling her towards the school exit. _

_ "Look! They're holding hands!" John said behind them, shocked. _

_ "Just keep moving…" Danny mumbled to D.K., annoyed with their fellow classmates. They were thirteen years old. He didn't like the thought of hiding and smoking with a bunch of jerks. _

_ When they finally made it outside, Danny let D.K's hand go and led the way towards Old Billy's. He kept glancing at her out of the corner of his eye, making sure she didn't start crying again. She still looked sad. _

_ "D.K?" He asked after a few moments of silence between them. _

_ "Yeah?" _

_ "What did Elizabeth say to you?" Danny asked, hoping that the question wouldn't set her off again. He held his breath as she remained quiet, and he silently cursed himself for bringing it up. He should've just let it go-_

_ "She said you didn't think of me as a girl." D.K. answered so quickly Danny barely understood._

_ "What? Of course you're a girl," Danny started blushing. D.K. was starting to develop curves and… stuff. It was fairly obvious that she was in fact a girl. _

_ "Yeah but she meant…" D.K. trailed off, blushing too, which confused him even more. What on earth was she going on about?_

_ He stopped walking and put a hand on her shoulder to stop her as well. She kept her eyes focused on the ground as he looked at her. His heart felt heavy again._

_ "What did she mean?" Danny asked._

_ "She meant…" D.K. trailed off, tilting her head up but avoiding his eyes, "she meant that… you just see me as another one of your guy friends. I'm not… pretty enough or… girly enough to be seen as a girl…" D.K. choked out, tears pooling around her eyes again._

_ This was exactly what he wanted to avoid. He'd made her cry again. _

_ "She told you that? D.K, seriously what does Elizabeth know? She's stupid. Yeah, I can talk to you like I'm talking to Mark or Jared or Chris… but I know you're a girl, too. Which is why you're my best friend. You're everything I'd ever need," Danny said honestly, biting his lip as he blushed even more. _

_ D.K's eyes finally met his and she blinked back her tears. A small, embarrassed smile slowly crawled onto her face. _

_ "And for the record…" Danny added, his heart beating quickly, "I think you're really pretty," he admitted, and before he could lose his nerve, he bent down and gently pecked her lips. _

_ She was positively glowing. _

_ "Want to go get those Mars Bars now?" Danny asked, smiling as well before lightly taking her hand and continuing their walk towards the corner store._

**Kaylee** – Hahaha I just realized that you're probably really confused. I should probably describe things a little better in my review responses in case other people read them! I THINK the response you're talking about was from my friend McFlYiNgHiGh who ALSO follows me on twitter. She noticed that I was tweeting my beta reader (who helps edit my stories) about this fiction where I specifically mentioned D.K.'s name. So when she said "OH! I KNOW WHO D.K. IS!" She meant she'd seen it in one of my tweets. It's a really confusing story and I probably just made you ten times more confused or ten times more bored. Either way, you're probably not impressed with this response lmao. So let me just stray off topic to where you mention reviewing… and you're SO right! I absolutely LOVE my readers even if they don't review (because I'm honestly just flattered that people like my writing) but I truly LOVE it when I can talk to them and hear exactly what they like (or don't like, for that matter) and get to know them a bit. It's lovely! Rambling in reviews is never a bad thing, in my personal opinion XD And YES the idea is to update every Monday… but now I kind of want to do it more often… but whatever lol. Anyway I'VE rambling on long enough! Thank you lovely! Sorry for the confusion XD

**Gnarley** – Seriously, if I lived in England I would use every HINT Tom gave out on his twitter to track them down at least once haha. I'd be like "Oh? Tom is on a boat? I shall go to every coast line!" until I found him hahaha. I know. I'm kind of pathetic. Whatever XD And anyway, the fact that you are a fellow Darren Criss fan makes my life much happier. I'm hoping to hunt him down and marry him one day. He's just too beautiful! XD anyway, thank you lovely!

**Fortheloveofafan** – Haha I'm VERY glad you liked the Jeremy guy! I wanted to cast me and my fellow American's in a good light and I think Jeremy did pretty well. I don't want to spoil anything concerning him but I'll let you know that he DOES reappear at some point. I won't tell you why. You'll find out soon enough! And anyway, I'm sorry for the minor cliffy! I don't normally do them! I tend to shy away from them but I seem to be writing them more often. Woops! Sorry love! Anyway, thank you!

**PrettyinPunk93** – Haha I'm glad you like it! I try to include everyone! I love talking to everyone who reads or reviews or tweets me about my stories. It seriously makes me ridiculously happy! And I love hearing what people have to say – good or bad. Because I seriously need the feedback ahaha. Anyway, Ringo is my favorite Beatle too! All my friend's think I'm a nut for loving him. But I love his big nose and his creepy singing voice hahaha. It's just so Ringo! Anyway, I'm glad you like the story! Peace love!

**TisBeKiko** – That's so weird that FF does that to you because it does it to some of my other readers too! I wonder why it does that – I've never really had an issue reviewing but that's probably because I barely ever do it. I totally suck at it lmao. But ANYWAY I TOTALLY REMEMBER THE AWARDS and let me just say that I think they came out BEAUTIFUL! Those are awesome! Now if only we could get them to McFly (Harry in particular) for real. That'd be hilarious. He'd be like "wtf? Best brother?" hahaha. Anyway, I'm glad you like the story! It'll pick up really quickly within these next few chapters. Peace lovely!


	8. Chapter 8

**I am SO SO SO SO SO sorry I haven't been able to update! My computer crashed and I haven't been able to retrieve ANY of the files! But my lovely LOVELY friend and beta reader, CrushedCoppelia, was able to send me the file! I won't be able to update on schedule for a while, but sense you all have been so patient I'll try to upload another chapter ASAP!**

Danny awoke confused. His dream had been… there was no way to describe it apart from _confusing_. The scene was familiar; he was waiting around his old elementary school before journeying home... But the way it had worked out was strange. He had no idea who the D.K. girl was or why he felt so strongly for her. And he knew that his first kiss had _actually _been during a game of spin the bottle with Elizabeth Thorton, the other girl in his dream.

Why had his brain messed it up so much?

And he'd dreamed of the D.K. girl before. But he'd always thought that he'd just made her up. He'd never dreamed of her so consistently though. It was really weird…

"Danny? Could you pick up a few groceries for me down at the supermarket? I need some milk and eggs. I forgot I used the rest up on the cookies from yesterday!" Danny's mum's voice rang through his closed door. He glanced at his clock and noticed that it was nearly noon. He'd slept half the day away.

"Yeah sure, I'll be down in a bit," he called back as he detangled himself from his bed and sorted through his suitcase for some clothes.

Ten minutes later he stumbled down the stairs and met his mum in the kitchen. She had coffee waiting for him on the counter and he gladly took a couple sips.

"Do you have any plans for today?" She asked, smiling lightly. He knew she wanted to hear him say he was meeting up with Camille. It made him sad to know he wouldn't be able to tell her that.

"No, nothing really. We could go shopping, if you want. My treat," Danny smiled, wrapping one of his arms around her shoulder as he continued to drink his coffee.

"That sounds lovely, dear," she replied, honestly looking excited.

"Great, we'll go tonight then. We can stop and grab a bite to eat, too," Danny planned as he set his half empty mug on the counter. "Now what do you need from the store? Just milk and eggs?"

"Yeah, that'd be great. You can take the car if you need to," she said while reaching for the keys.

"No, it's okay. I think I'm going to walk to Old Billy's, you know, and see how the old geezer's holding up," Danny grinned before kissing his mum on the cheek and leaving the house to walk the same route he walked hundreds of thousands of times in his childhood. He enjoyed the nostalgia.

Danny opened the door to the corner store and heard the small bell tied to the hinges jingle at his arrival. The moment he walked in he saw Old Billy standing at the counter, his once brown hair gray and his face speckled with wrinkles. He still had the same cheery smile.

"Hello, how you doing?" He asked Danny, grinning as he organized the cigarettes behind the counter.

"I'm doing great, how are you?" Danny asked politely as he moved to the back of the small store and opened the glass refrigerator to pull out what his mother needed.

"I'm doing all right for an old guy. Can't complain," Old Billy smiled as Danny placed his purchases on the counter for him to ring up. He looked behind Billy and noticed the boxes of candy. Should he?

"… And can I get a Mars Bar, too?" Danny asked, almost instinctually.

"Well, of course you can! Here you go, one Mars… hey, don't I know you? Yes! You're little D.J! You and your cute little girlfriend would always come in here and buy me out of my Mars Bars and liquorish!" Old Billy's smile grew even wider as his eyes lit up. Danny smiled, nodding, though positive that the old man was losing his head. Little girlfriend? Danny remembered coming to the shop… but never with a girl.

"Yeah, that was me…" Danny trailed off, deciding it was best to just let the man think what he wanted to.

"But you stopped coming here once your little friend moved away. I heard it was because her mother died. That was so terribly sad. No child should ever have to lose a parent that young," Billy said as he piled Danny's purchases into one big white bag.

"Wait… what?" Danny couldn't help but ask. He had no idea what Old Billy was talking about.

"Sorry, it might still be a sensitive topic. But I mean… it was how many years ago? Ten? Eleven? That little girl was so cute. I sure do miss her," Billy trailed off.

The old man had lost his head. It had to be. Danny had no idea what he was talking about. Maybe old age wasn't treating him as well as Danny originally thought.

"Anyway… that'll be five quid," Old Billy said, smiling politely again.

"Uh… right," Danny said, shaking his head as he pulled out the money. He grabbed the bag and made his way for the door, ready to get out of there.

"Hope to see you again soon, D.J!" Billy shouted behind him happily. Danny was moving to quickly to reply.

He walked down the street while trying to figure out what person Old Billy could have been talking about. It couldhave been Elizabeth… Danny might've gone there with her once or twice… but as far as he knew her mother was alive and well.

But he _still _didn't know why he ever bought liquorish. He didn't remember ever eating it himself. He thought about going back and asking Billy if he knew anything, but figured it was better not to. The old geezer was going on about parents dying. He probably wasn't that reliable.

"Danny? Danny Jones? Is that you?" Danny spun around on the sidewalk, confused as he heard his name being called. A tall, familiar looking man stood before him smiling pleasantly.

There were just too many people recognizing him.

"Uh… yes?" Danny tried to place the man. Maybe he was a fan? Danny didn't think it was likely though.

"It's me! Peter, Peter Gnoccet! We went to school together!" He seemed very excited to be seeing Danny again despite the fact that Danny barely remembered him at all.

"Peter? Oh, Peter! How are you, mate?" Danny asked, forcing small talk.

"I'm doing all right. I'm living with my parent's at the moment, trying to get back on my feet. This economy, man – it's killing me," he laughed, though Danny could sense some desperation in his voice.

"Yeah, I know what you mean," Danny agreed monotonously.

"So what have you been up to? You're in that band still, right? McFly?" Peter asked, still smiling.

"Yeah, how'd you know?"

"Mate, everyone in Bolton knows. You're our claim to fame," he joked, "maybe you could hook me up with a producer. I've actually been writing a lot of my own stuff since I got laid off. What do you say?" He was full out grinning now.

"Yeah, I might be able to do something for you… but as of right now I'm not sure if any labels are looking for new acts. I could put a word out for you or something," Danny offered, used to people asking for in's in the music industry.

"Would you really? That'd be fantastic. Here, do you want my number in case anyone is interested?" He asked, pulling out his phone.

"Um, sure," Danny replied, pulling out his as well.

They exchanged numbers and Danny was preparing to leave before Peter stopped him.

"Hey, do you still keep in contact with that girl from middle school? My therapist suggested that I find old school mates and apologize for some of the nasty things I did when we were younger. I've been trying to get in contact with her but can't find her anywhere," Peter said, his voice frustrated.

"Um… no, I don't really keep in contact with anyone from then. Good luck, though," Danny smiled before finally leaving.

He made it the rest of the way home without any other weird run-in's occurring. His vacation was not really going the way he had planned…

"Mum? I'm back!" He called as he closed the door behind him and deposited the bag on the counter. When he didn't get a reply back he noticed the sound of water running and assumed his mother was in the shower.

With nothing to do and no one to distract him, Danny went into the living room and sat down on the couch. He flicked through the channels on TV trying to find something to entertain him for the time being. He gave up on the television after ten minutes or so, not wanting to waste all of his time.

He set the remote down on the coffee table in front of him and picked up one of the photo albums. It was large and perfectly square. It was specifically full of professionally done family portraits, one taken every year until Danny moved to London. It was weird to see how the family had changed as it got older. Danny's parent's, who started out holding each other in the pictures, began moving further apart from each other after the years. Until finally Danny's father stopped appearing in the pictures all together.

The last one, just of Danny and his mother, was his favorite. Not that he didn't love his older sister, Vicky, but his mother looked the happiest she'd looked in a while. It was just nice to see.

He put the photo album down and picked up another. It was of their family trip to Disney world. Danny laughed at his face on roller coasters, and grinned when he saw his sister posing with Mickey and Minnie. He missed going on holiday's like that.

He went through the other photo albums. They were all organized specifically, each with their own theme. There was one that had only photos of Danny and Vicky posing with Santa Claus at Christmas time. There was another that had all their school pictures lined up in chronological order.

And then there was a small, light green one with intricate leather stars on the cover that Danny had never seen before. He picked it up, kind of confused, before opening it and staring at the first picture.

The picture was of two little kids sitting next to each on the beach. Danny recognized himself as a small five year old boy and the girl next to him, the one he had his arm wrapped tightly around as she pressed her lips to his cheek, was the girl in his dreams.

His heart beat faster as the photo album toppled to the floor at his feet.


	9. Chapter 9

**I AM SO SORRY. I FINALLY got everything back to normal! Updates will be happening every Monday and every Friday for NOW ON! I PROMISE!**

Danny was stuck staring at the photo album that had fallen to the floor. The girl was real? He _hadn't _made her up? He couldn't understand why he couldn't remember her. Why didn't his mother ever talk about her? Who on earth _was _she?

He gingerly reached down and picked the book back up from between his feet. He swallowed before turning the page and looking at the next photo. It was of him and the girl, running through a sprinkler in his back garden. They looked about eight years old.

The next photo was in the winter. They were building a snowman. Danny was wrapped up in a thick down jacket and wearing ski pants. She looked like a big pink marshmallow.

The next one was of them asleep together on a blanket somewhere that Danny didn't know. Maybe it was her yard? They looked young - maybe four or five?

And the next one was taken when they were a bit older. They could've been thirteen? She was wearing a pretty red dress, though she looked really uncomfortable in it. Danny was wearing some khaki pants and a black button down shirt. They were going to a dance together.

He flipped to the next page. They were still about twelve or thirteen. His mother must've taken the picture from the window (which kind of creeped him out a little bit). He and the girl were sitting in his back garden at the picnic table. They were eating a cheese pizza directly out of the box with their fingers entwined together. It was probably the summer time and she was in a tank top while he was wearing his old favorite Bruce Springsteen shirt. He had grown out of it when he turned fifteen.

Danny pulled the picture out of its plastic enclosure and flipped it over. On the back his mother had written "Danny + Dani - 13 years old" in her neat cursive writing.

Danny closed the photo album. He couldn't look at the pictures anymore. It made him feel extremely uneasy that he couldn't remember this girl… this Dani. It was obvious that she had been a part of his life since he was… well, since he was a child.

Maybe he'd fallen and hit his head on something and couldn't remember parts of his past? Or… maybe it was all the drinking he did. He'd heard that alcohol could cause Alzheimer's. But he was only twenty-three. Should he be worried?

"Oh, Danny you're back! Did you get everything okay? What's wrong?" His mother immediately noticed his worried expression. He shook his head as he ran his hands over his face. None of this was making sense to him.

Without speaking, he held the picture of him and… _Dani_ out to her. She took it, confusion spread clearly across her face as she looked at it. Did she not remember the girl either?

"This is D.K?" His mother said, looking from the picture back to Danny, still confused.

"I…" Danny trailed off, not sure how to tell his mother he didn't know who the girl was.

"Do you miss her? I think her father left a phone number to contact her at… I might still have it-" she was about to leave to go into the kitchen. Danny stopped her by grabbing her wrist.

"Mum… I… I don't remember her. At all," Danny's eyes were wide with some kind of fear. He knew this wasn't normal.

"What are you talking about? You two were best friends. I mean, I know you were mad that she left but you must remember her."

"No, seriously. I - I've dreamed about her but I always thought I made her up. I seriously… have no idea who she is. I can't remember any of this at all," Danny held out the photo album as he rubbed his temples, trying to jog his memory some how.

His mum came to the couch and sat down next to him. She felt his forehead, like all mothers do, and looked into his eyes to check for something that Danny didn't know.

"We're going to the doctor," she decided after a few moments.

"What? Why? Am I hot?" Danny asked as he touched his head.

"No, but I'm not taking any chances," she replied, pulling him to his feet and leading him out of the house.

"Mum, we don't have an appointment or anything. We can't just-"

"We'll go to the emergency room then. Come on, get in," she ordered, her tone very no-nonsense.

Danny did as he was told. Maybe he really _did_ need a doctor.

They waited for a few hours when they arrived at the hospital. Once they were admitted, the nurse sent Danny down for an MRI to scan his head. They were told the doctor's would look it over straight away, in case there was something seriously wrong.

Danny sat on the hospital bed in the small gown that they had given him. He hated hospital gowns. Why couldn't they have backs? No one wants their butt hanging out.

"Mr. Jones? Hi, I'm Dr. Angelis. I looked over your results and they seem completely fine. You shouldn't have any memory lapses due to a physical injury," the doctor explained the moment he walked in the room.

"I'm not making this up. I seriously can't remember who this girl is," Danny fired back, frustrated.

"Don't worry, I believe you," the doctor smiled comfortingly, "but it is possible that you were emotionally injured. The brain has the wonderful ability to block some things out that may cause us great heartache or fear. It'll repress the memories so we don't have to deal with them. This could be what happened in your case. Did some kind of tragic even happen with this girl?" The doctor asked, turning to Danny's mum.

"Um, well," she began, glancing at Danny before answering the doctor's question, "yes. Her mother had been battling cancer and died. Shortly after her father decided to move out of town. I think living in the same house hurt too much. When they left… well, Danny really got angry. He didn't like being called by his old nickname and refused to talk about her. I just thought that it was his way of coping. I didn't know that it would cause him this much suffering," she looked up at him apologetically. He waved it off feeling guilty that she thought it was her fault.

"That could be the answer. To be sure, I would recommend seeing a therapist or counselor. They have some very good techniques working with the memory if you are interested. They'd probably suggest finding something that reminds you of her, like a photograph or a present she gave you. Though to be honest, you really won't suffer from this. It shouldn't cause you any long term problems so you'd be fine if you chose to remain in the dark," the doctor explained, smiling at them one last time before saying goodbye and moving on to his next patient.

The ride home was a quiet one. It was dark and Danny felt bad that they hadn't been able to go shopping like he'd promised. This wasn't how he wanted his vacation to go.

"Could you tell me a little bit about her? The doctor said that could help, right?" Danny asked as they sped down the highway.

"Well, her name was Danielle Kelleher. We called her D.K. and you D.J. so we wouldn't get mixed up by calling you both Danny. They moved to Bolton when you guys were about two years old. Do you want to drive passed her house?" She asked, nervously.

"Sure, where is it?"

"One street over from ours. When they first moved away, you always told me to drive another way home so we wouldn't have to see it…"

"Did I really?" Danny asked, amazed. He remembered telling his mum to avoid the street, but he thought he'd always said it because it got them home faster or something.

They drove silently into town and his mother turned right instead of going straight to their street. Danny looked at the familiar houses of his neighborhood until she stopped in front of a forest green town house. Once he saw it, he remembered it clearly. He knew where each room was located. He knew which floorboards squeaked. He just didn't know _why_ he knew it all.

"This is weird…" Danny sighed, wracking his brain and trying to remember everything.

"Do you want to go home now?" His mother asked as she placed a comforting hand on his back.

"Yeah, I do. Sorry I made us come here."

"It's no problem, dear. Don't worry yourself about it," she replied, her voice sad.

Once they reached his house Danny gave his mother a goodnight kiss and went back to his bedroom. Part of him was scared to fall asleep. Would he dream of the girl, Dani, again?

But he was too exhausted to fight off sleep. It was all he wanted at the moment. Dreaming of her wasn't the worst thing in the world, right?


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 9**

_"All right children, welcome to your first day of Kindergarten! I'm your teacher, Mrs. Renson and we're going to have such a fun year together. Can we go around the circle and tell each other our names? Here, let's start with you. What's your name?" Danny watched as Mrs. Renson pointed to a little blond girl sitting next to her. _

_ "I'm Elizabeth," she replied proudly. _

_ "That's a lovely name! Do you know what letter Elizabeth begins with?"_

_ "Yeah, an E!" _

_ "Correct! Do you know what an E looks like?"_

_ "Um… I think so…"_

_ "Do you want me to draw it on the board for you?"_

_ "Okay."_

_ Mrs. Renson got up from her spot in the circle and drew a three-pronged letter on the board. Danny stared at it, trying to memorize its shape. _

_ "Now Elizabeth, could you go and find a seat over there that has this letter on the desk?" Mrs. Renson asked the little girl kindly. Elizabeth nodded her head quickly before standing up and searching around all the desks before she finally found it. _

_ "Great job! Now, take a seat there. That will be your desk for the year! You'll each share a desk with a partner, okay? Now, who's next in the circle?" Mrs. Renson looked down and pointed at a girl with black hair. _

_ "What's your name?" She asked nicely._

_ "Um… Dani," she answered quietly, not looking up from a spot on the carpet. _

_ "Danny's _my _name!" Danny said quickly, never having met a girl with his name before. _

_ "Oh, you two are the two D's, aren't you?" Mrs. Renson asked with a smile on her face. The two kids nodded. She went through the same routine with them as she had with Elizabeth. She drew a D on the board and together they searched the room for their desk. Once they found it, they proudly took their seats. _

_ "Great job guys!" Mrs. Renson congratulated them before continuing on with the next child in the circle. _

_ "So your name is Dani?" Danny asked the girl next to him in a quiet whisper. _

_ "Yeah, it's short for Danielle. You're Danny too?" _

_ "Yeah, it's short for Daniel. I hope this doesn't make things confusing!" Danny said with wide eyes. What if they got their papers mixed up or something? _

_ "Know what we can do?" The girl said as she pondered their dilemma. _

_ "What?" _

_ "My last name is Kelleher. And I know that it starts with a K. So I can be called… D.K!" She said happily. _

_ "Okay, D.K! My surname is Jones and that starts with a J my mum said. So I'll be called D.J!" Danny said just as happily. _

_ "Okay, D.J!" She grinned, giggling at the nickname. "Do you want a piece of my Mars Bar? My mum gave me one for snack time, but I want to eat some now," D.K. asked as she pulled the little treat out of her pocket. _

_ "Yes, please!" Danny replied, amazed by his good luck. He made a friend _and _she had sweets. Could life get any better?_

_ She broke off half of the chocolate bar and kept the rest for herself. Danny quietly ate it while the rest of the kids were sorted into their seats. _

_ "My mum's favorite kind of candy is liquorish. Have you ever had it?" D.K. asked after she finished her half of the chocolate. _

_ Danny shook his head as he chewed his half. He wanted to swallow it quickly so the teacher wouldn't know they were already snacking. _

_ "I don't really like the taste but she _loves _it. What's your mum's favorite?" _

_ "I don't think my mum likes candy. She says she's on a diet, which I think means she doesn't like sweets."_

_ "Who couldn't like sweets?" D.K. asked, her eyes wide in amazement. _

_ "I don't know. She must be crazy," Danny giggled, making his desk partner laugh as well. He liked making her laugh. Her eyes lit up and he knew she was being honest. _

Danny pulled himself out of his dream, looking at the clock. Again it was nearly midday and Danny mentally cursed himself. He should start setting an alarm clock. But then he wouldn't be able to fully dream. He wouldn't have interacted with… D.K. the way he had.

There was a small part of him that didn't believe his dreams were just dreams. He wanted to think that they were memories but he couldn't be sure. But there was another part of him that didn't want to think about her anymore. He kind of wished he'd never found out she was real. He liked the way he was living before. Now he was just even more confused.

He got up from the bed and started to repack his suitcase. Three days wasn't really a long holiday, but it was enough for him. He needed to get out of the town and back in London where things made sense.

"I can't believe you're leaving already. You just got here! Do you think you could stay just a few more days?" His mother asked him as he ate some cereal in the kitchen. It hurt him to tell her that he honestly couldn't – he was needed for the new album – but he knew that even if he wasn't needed for the band, he would have to leave anyway.

"How about in a few weeks you come visit me? You haven't been to London in a while," Danny smiled as she sat next to him.

"Yeah, it's just so busy. I don't know how you can live there. I'd go nuts," she laughed, patting his hand.

Her nutty comment reminded him of his dream when he said his mum was crazy. "Hey, can I asked you more about Dani? Or D.K?" He asked, looking up from his bowl.

"Ask me anything, and I'll try to answer it. You two didn't really clue me in on much," she smiled sadly.

"Well, when did you start to call me D.J? Did you decide the nickname or did it catch on somewhere else?" He asked, searching to see if his thoughts about his dreams were true.

"Well, from what I remember, you came home from your first day of kindergarten chattering on about this girl that had the same name as you. You said that you'd only go by D.J. for now on, and that she was going by D.K. so you guys wouldn't get confused. I thought it was cute, but I didn't think that it would stick till you were thirteen," she laughed as she recalled the memory.

Danny wanted to be able to remember, too. He wanted it more than anything. It was so frustrating being in the dark.

"Can I bring the photo album back to London with me? I promise I wont lose it. The doctor said maybe I could jog my memory by looking at things that remind me of her. It kind of worked when I saw her house," Danny explained. The photo albums were his mother's pride and joy. She never let them leave the house.

"I'll let you take it with you if you _promise _that no harm will come to it," she chuckled, going into the living room and bringing it back out for him. He didn't open it. He'd look at the pictures when he was on the train later.

"You'll let me know that you're okay, right? When you get back to London? You'll let me know if you remember her, okay? Or if it gets any worse?" She looked nervous. He could tell she didn't want him to go.

"I promise," he replied, hoping with all his heart that he _could _remember her.


	11. Chapter 11

**This is a very short chapter. But anyway, thank you to everyone who has been reviewing! I'd answer all of your lovely responses at the bottom of the page like I used to, but I'm so bloody tired I'm literally about to crash from exhaustion. **

**LOVE YOU ALL. **

"So you don't remember her…at _all_?" Harry eventually sighed from Harry's couch as his band mates looked over the photo album, flipping through the pictures with the same curiosity Danny had during his journey home. He'd thought that the pictures would jolt his memory. He'd hoped that _something _would click.

But no. Nothing.

"I thought she was just a dream. I don't know anything about her, except that we were best friends," Danny answered solemnly. He'd already told them about going to the hospital and the rest of his long weekend. They were just as confused as he was.

"Are you going to do what the doctor said? Like going to a therapist and stuff?" Dougie asked as he looked a picture with Danny and Dani swimming in a pool.

"I don't know… I kind of want to wait a little bit. I'm trying to make myself remember. He said to look at things that remind me of her… but I haven't really got anything yet," Danny explained, rubbing his head.

"Well, you could try something like hypnotism or something," Tom suggested as he looked a picture of Danny giving Dani a piggyback ride. "It worked on me and Harry when we were in Australia. I heard that it can sometimes bring back repressed memories," he explained as Danny looked at him quizzically.

"I don't think I'm going to end up going that far into this. I'll try to make myself remember but if it doesn't work then maybe I should just leave it as it is, you know? I repressed it for a reason," Danny explained, trying to convince himself that it would work.

"That sounds reasonable. Hey, I like this one," Dougie commented as he held up the photo album to point out the picture. Danny leaned over and saw six-year-old versions of him and Dani on their bikes, racing down the street trying to beat each other to the end. It was actually a pretty good shot.

And then Danny frowned. There was something familiar about that picture… he… recognized something…

_"Come on D.K! Sing a song or something!" Danny cheered as they rode their bikes in a wide circle. His friend shook her head, grinning shyly._

_ "I don't want to sing. You have a better voice than I do anyway. You sing!" She replied as she continued peddling_

_"Fine… let me think of a song…" Danny agreed, running through the list of songs that he knew by heart. One quickly popped into his head. _

_"Born in a dead man town! The first kick I took, was when I hit the ground!" Danny grinned as he sang Bruce Springsteen's Born in the U.S.A. at a very loud volume. D.K. started giggling and soon joined in once he reached the chorus._

"Danny? You okay?" Tom asked, nudging his shoulder as Danny continued to stare at the picture.

"I just… I think I just remembered her!" Danny gasped, unsure if he was just inventing a memory or if it was real.

"Really? What was it?" His band mates looked relieved.

"It's not everything… just one memory… we were riding our bikes in a circle and singing Bruce Springsteen. That's all it was… but I'm pretty sure it's a memory," he stated as he bit the nail on his thumb. He wished there was some way to confirm it.

"Well, even if it's just one at least it's something. How about we go out to PlusMinus? Maybe give your brain a break so you can start fresh in the morning?" Harry suggested thoughtfully.

"I don't know… I'm not really up for it right now…" Danny replied, realizing for the first time ever that he wasn't in the mood to go out.

"You? Not up for it? Are you kidding me right now?" Dougie laughed as he jumped up from the couch and grabbed Danny's arm to help him up. "We're going out tonight, whether you like it or not. We need to get you out of this funk you've fallen into. Come on," Dougie explained while pulling on his arm. Danny had no other choice but to follow.

When they arrived at the club Danny felt uneasy. Strobe lights were flashing, cigarette smoke was clouding the air, and the smell of perfume and body odor was hanging in the air. It was all extremely familiar to him. But he still felt out of place.

"Want to dance?" A petite girl tapped Danny on his shoulder as he sat at the bar slowly drinking a beer. He smiled politely at her, sure that if she had asked him a week ago he would have definitely accepted.

"No, thank you though," Danny declined before turning back to his drink. He could tell she was a little confused and maybe even a little hurt by his rejection.

"Oh, so are you a taken man? Come on, just have a little fun," she smiled, coming close enough to him that her chest touched his arm.

"I'm just… I've been having a bad week. I just want to relax," he explained, leaning away from her. Out of the corner of his eye he saw her frown with concern before she hopped onto the bar stool next to him.

He got up to move away.

"No, wait, we can just talk, can't we? What's got you so upset?" She asked as she grabbed his arm and had him sit back down. He sighed in annoyance.

"I don't really want to talk about it."

"Oh, so you'd rather sit here and drown your sorrows in imported beer?" She asked sarcastically.

"That is exactly what I had planned to do. Alone." He said shortly, hoping she'd take the hint and leave him alone.

"Just talk to me. I'm a stranger. It's not like I matter. Pretend I'm a diary for a man or something," she said, nudging him.

"Look, I really don't think talking about it will help. And you'll just think I'm crazy so I'd rather be left to myself, all right?" Danny snapped before feeling slightly guilty. He knew he shouldn't take his frustration out on the girl but she had pushed him to his limit.

"Hey, I'm sorry if I'm intruding…" she sighed, backing off when she noticed his anger, "my name is Monica Van Doren. I'm a P.I… a Private Investigator, so asking questions is kind of my forte," she explained apologetically.

"I don't know what that is," Danny said, not really caring.

"Well, basically if someone needs to find something out, I'm the one they call. I can find long lost relatives, I can find out hidden information… you name it and I can get it," she explained with a small, confident smile on her face.

"Wait… you can find people? What do you mean?" Danny asked, turning to face the girl with a new curiosity.

"Oh, is there someone you're trying to find?" Monica asked slyly, hooking onto his new interest in the conversation.

"No… there's… there's someone I'm trying to _remember_," Danny clarified, deciding that he might as well spill the beans. The girl wasn't going to leave him alone until he did.

"Really? Well that sounds interesting. Why don't you remember them?"

"I don't know. Apparently we were best friends when we were kids, but then she moved away and I forced myself to forget her for some reason. Crazy right?" Danny smiled tightly.

"The brain is a magnificent thing. It can do things that we can't even imagine. So no, it's not crazy. It's human," she explained, actually making him feel a little bit better. Just to have someone empathize with him helped him relax.

"Thanks… but really, I wish my brain would just do what I wanted it to. I'd like some of those memories back," Danny chuckled, trying to make a joke out of it.

"Just keep trying. But just so you know, your subconscious probably hid them from your for a reason. If you do unlock whatever's hidden in your head, it probably won't be pretty," Monica said honestly.

"Why would you say that?" Danny asked, even though he knew it was probably true. Repressing memories was the brains defense mechanism.

"Well, I'll give you an example. I have women coming to me all the time asking me to find out if their husbands are cheating on them. Nine out of ten times, their husbands _are_. The wives always suspect it, but they never truly break down crying until I give them the news. It's the hidden information. It always hurts," she shrugged, her eyes sad.

"That's… well, that's extremely depressing," Danny blinked as he took a long swing of his beer.

"Yup, it really is," she agreed. "Tell you what, if you ever need my help in the future, give me a call, okay? And I'm not hitting on you right now, just so you know. I'm being serious," she chuckled as she pulled a business card out of her small purse. Danny took it with a grin.

"Will do, Monica Van Doren," he answered as he read the card over. She chuckled before hopping off the stool and making her way through the crowd of people.

"Who was that chick and _why _did she just walk away?" Dougie asked two seconds later as he appeared out of thin air.

"She was a private investigator. And she walked away because I'm no fun," said Danny with a grin.

"You're a buzz kill right now. You know that, right?" Dougie rolled his eyes as he sat next to his friend.

"I am completely aware of it. You guys really shouldn't have brought me out tonight."

"Yeah, well, we're your mates. We want to see you happy," Dougie answered with a small shrug. Danny smiled lightly, thankful that he had such good friends.


	12. Chapter 12

**Thank you all for your lovely reviews! I promise you'll find out more about D.K. VERY SOON! Like… next-chapter-soon XD**

_"Call now to reserve your _free _ice cube maker-"_

_ "Ever wonder why you start to bald as you get older?"_

_ "Five were found dead after the fire broke out-"_

Danny clicked off the television after surfing through the channels like a mindless zombie. Daytime TV had never been one of his favorite mediums for entertainment. He was reduced to utilizing last resorts though. His house was actually spotless for the first time as a result of his boredom.

Danny groaned as he slowly pulled himself off his couch. Sitting around on his own was the last thing he wanted to do. It gave him time to daydream. It gave him time to think.

And he was done thinking.

"Hey Doug, you busy?" He asked, praying for some sort of distraction. "Oh, no it's fine, I get it. Let me know how it goes, okay?" Danny hung up after hearing Dougie was going on another run to the Veterinarian with his dog.

"Tom? Hey, are you and Gi busy? Oh, her mother is in town? No, I think she's really nice… I just… remember that I have something else to do… yeah, sorry. Bye!" Danny hung up quickly, avoiding the uncomfortable situation. Gi's mother was a very nice lady, but it was obviously inevitable that he would be struck by third-wheel syndrome.

Well, technically fourth-wheel, technically.

"Haz? Answer your goddamn phone. Please? _Please?_ Dude, I'm offering like a month's servitude as a slave. No questions asked. Pick up!" Danny nearly whined, annoyed that his friends weren't available in his time of desperate need. How was he supposed to distract himself if there was no one to distract himself _with_?

He gave up. He threw his phone on his couch and went up to his bedroom. His guitar was placed carefully on its stand and he picked it up on his way to sit on the unmade bed. He strummed a chord, making sure it was tuned…

There was no sound he loved more than the sound of a perfectly tuned acoustic guitar.

Danny fiddled around for a while. He loved the feeling of his calloused fingers growing hot against the metal strings. He strummed erratic but rhythmic beats until his wrist hurt and then switched to plucking stings in a harmonic fashion. He'd reached the point in his musical abilities where the guitar was no longer an instrument held carefully in his grasp, but an extension of his hands used to create something so wonderful, it made his chest swell with pride.

He loved the sounds emanating from the instrument. It was a riff he'd been working on, trying to get just right and this was it. He played it again, nodding to himself as he found a spare notebook and quickly jotted down the notes before playing back to himself, making sure it sounded just right. He even started humming a melody. It was something simple with no lyrics or harmonies. And he liked the way it sounded.

"Woah oh oh oh! Woah oh ohh oh. Woah oh oh ohhhh oh oh oh oh," Danny sang to himself, feeling more relaxed than he had in weeks. Moments like these reminded him of why he became a musician. It was the most self-rewarding occupation there ever was.

He let his fingers remain still against the strings for a moment, words running through his mind like a liquid dictionary. He was straining, trying to catch onto something that would make sense when all strung together, but everything continuously slipped through the cracks.

So he took a breath and started singing whatever came to his mind.

"Everyday feels like a… Monday. There is… no escaping from the heartache…" Danny breathed, moving his fingers along the strings as he closed his eyes. Then suddenly the picture of him and Dani sitting together in his backyard eating pizza appeared behind his eyelids and his fingers stalled, unable to move. Words stopped whizzing around his mind. He'd frozen.

"Damn it…" he mumbled to himself in aggravation. He couldn't do anything to distract his brain from its own thoughts.

In defeat his put his guitar back on its stand before going to sit at his desk. The top was cluttered with papers and empty cups. Located under a layer of bad lyrics was his laptop, which (once found) he flipped open and turned on.

But how could the Internet be any more distracting than bad TV? He'd check his email for five minutes and then the boredom would start to seep in. Maybe he could answer some fan questions on Twitter?

His computer loaded and he opened up his web browser. Google's search engine popped up in a matter of seconds. His hands hung still over his keyboard as he stared in wonder at his machine in front of him. Would it hurt?

Before he could talk himself out of it, his fingers quickly typed 'Danielle Kelleher' into Google's search bar. He subconsciously started biting his thumb nail as he waited for the page to load.

There were nearly a hundred thousand results.

The first couple of links were listings of people named Danielle Kelleher on databases. There were a few Facebook and MySpace pages that Danny clicked on, though from what he could recognize from the pictures they weren't his D.K.

So he switched to Google images.

He clicked on each image in order to see it full sized. He looked at a woman in a wedding gown, a girl holding a baby, and countless girls pursing their lips while doing a peace sign with their fingers. As he reached the tenth page of pictures he wanted to hit himself. What was he doing? Was this considered stalking? That was just what he needed. Maybe Jason Mason or whatever would put out a new article on him and his desperate new attributes. He could see it now: _Danny Jones – Cracked, Crazed, and Desperate. _

He was about to close out of the web page all together when he noticed a small image of a girl with long black hair holding a trophy. He wanted to tell himself to close out of the page. He was done. He didn't _need _to see the picture. But his instincts got the better of him and seconds ticked by as he waited to see the larger version of the image.

The moment it loaded a sigh went through him as he realized all his hard work had finally paid off.

There was no doubt in his mind that the girl in the computer image was the D.K. from his photo album. She was undeniably older (possibly eighteen or nineteen?) but she looked exactly the same. Her hair was swinging in long, wavy layers down to her waist while her pale cheeks blushed as she accepted the trophy from some unknown middle-aged guy. The script on the award was too small for Danny to make out.

She looked… beautiful.

It was a strange type of beautiful though. She was wearing running shorts and a small white tank top in the picture, so she definitely wasn't high on the glamour scale. Everything about her appearance was graceful though. Graceful and peaceful. He liked the way her green eyes lit up as she smiled. He could tell she was truly happy. It was a true kind of beauty that Danny didn't run into often.

He clicked on the article that went along with the picture, hoping to learn more about the award she was given. Normally he would just skim through the paragraphs, looking for the information he wanted but he took his time and read each word individually, not wanting to miss a thing. This was the only _new _information he had. He wanted to savor it.

She'd won first place in a 5K junior race for charity. She was eighteen and living with her father in London.

She was in _London_.

They'd been living in the same city for nearly five years. They might have run into each other and he would have never known.

Guilt rippled through him and he slammed his laptop closed. What if _she _had recognized him? What if she even tried to talk to him? Had he shut her down? Had he thought she was just another fan? Embarrassment made his heart feel even heavier than the guilt already had. He just wanted to remember her.

Danny screamed as he picked up the closest thing to him and threw it as hard as he could. The light backpack did absolutely no damage to his bed. Even when he felt destructive he managed to mess up.

A small white card had fallen out of the backpack though. He picked it up off his bed, turning it over curiously. It read: _"Jeremy Rider – Hypnotherapist"_

Jeremy Rider? Was that… the Jeremy he'd met on the train to Bolton?

A Hypnotherapist? Wasn't that what Tom and Harry suggested he'd do? Would being hypnotized actually work?

… He really _was_ insane, wasn't he? He was actually considering hypnotherapy as a solution to his problems. There would definitely be some horrible tabloid about that! There was no way…

But maybe there _was _a chance it could work. What did he have to lose? Could he face some public humiliation if it meant even the slightest chance to get his memories back?

Danny ran back down the stairs to grab his phone off the couch. The answer was obvious.

He would risk _anything._


	13. Chapter 13

"Well, Danny, to be honest this was not how I thought our next meeting would happen," Jeremy laughed as he led Danny into a rustic looking office. Everything was tinted calming shades of ruby red and chocolate brown, giving it a warm and relaxing vibe. Danny eyed the sofa, inwardly cringing at the thought of lying down and complaining about his life to Jeremy, who was basically a stranger to him.

Why on earth did he agree to this?

"Yeah, well, I was kind of desperate," Danny sighed honestly as Jeremy took a seat on a brown leather recliner, leaving Danny with no other choice but to sit uncomfortably on the couch.

"Yeah, I can tell. You didn't look nearly this tweaked when I first met you. What happened?" Jeremy asked, his face showing nothing but concern.

Danny explained everything from the beginning of his vacation until yesterday when he was looking D.K. up online. He'd even brought along the photo album with him to show Jeremy what she'd looked like, and that he wasn't making this up. It was easy to talk about it once he'd started going, and Jeremy didn't interrupt him at all which made Danny feel a little bit more comfortable. It was like he was talking to a dog or something. A person who would listen but cast no judgment. It was refreshing.

"So… my friends Tom and Harry suggested hypnotism. They said that sometimes it could bring memories back or something. I'm willing to try anything," Danny sighed eventually, looking Jeremy directly in the eyes for an answer. The American looked back at Danny, still processing everything he'd heard, before nodding his head.

"Well, your friends are sort of right. In certain situations, hypnotism can be a good tool to use when trying to uncover repressed memories. Sometimes detectives will use it on witnesses for crimes that happened many years before," he explained, making Danny's heart leap with hope. It actually worked? It was _proven_ to actually work?

"That's great! What do I need to do-"

"But," Jeremy cut him off, holding Danny's gaze, "sometimes it doesn't work. It's strictly a case-by-case technique. There are some people out there that could be put under in half a second, while others just resist like there's no tomorrow. So there is no guarantee," Jeremy said seriously, wanting to convey his honesty to Danny.

"Oh…" Danny's hopes started to slide.

"What I _can _tell you, though, is that if you truly allow yourself to let loose, it usually works. A lot of people are scared and don't want to lose the control they normally feel. But I've found that if you just give yourself in to your emotions and allow your mind to wander, I can usually hook anyone," Jeremy said with pride.

"Really? So… you've done this a lot before, then?" Danny asked, curiously.

"I've been interested in hypnotism since I could walk. I would practice on my little sister. I made her do things that would get me grounded for weeks," Jeremy confided, smiling proudly.

His confidence made Danny relax again. He wanted this to work – he _needed _it to work. He was willing to lose control of his mind for a short period of time if that's what it took.

"All right, I'm on board. What do I need to do?" Danny asked, rubbing his palms together in anticipation.

"Well, get in your most comfortable position. Sitting up or lying down is fine. Just get comfortable," Jeremy instructed, waving his hand along the couch for Danny to reposition himself. Without a moment's hesitation, Danny slid his feet on the couch and hugged a pillow to his chest.

"Now what?" Danny asked, eagerly. Jeremy chuckled.

"Relax, okay? Patience is important. Now, I just want to assure you that if you do go under, you should still be completely alert, all right? So when I let you up, you'll remember everything I've said and everything in your own head, okay? Do you understand?" Jeremy asked.

"Yeah, I get it," Danny replied, trying to calm himself down and relax like Jeremy had said. He wanted this to work.

"All right, so close your eyes. Picture yourself in a place that makes you most relaxed and at ease. We're going to call this your happy place, okay? So if I refer back to it in the future, I want you to go straight there. Now, do you have a happy place?" Jeremy asked as Danny thought.

He'd originally thought about his home in Bolton with his mum. But he didn't feel happy or relaxed, just nostalgic. Then his brain suddenly brought him on a large stage, an acoustic guitar in his hand and a spotlight shined directly on where he was sitting. The crowd was empty. He was completely by himself.

"Yeah, I've got it," Danny smiled lightly.

"Perfect. Now," Jeremy's voice became slow and full. It gave Danny reassurance and peace of mind. "You're going to relax all over. Let's start with your feet. Relax your feet and your ankles. Good, now slowly move up. Relax your shins and your knees. Relax your thighs and your hips. Relax your stomach… relax your chest. Relax your arms and relax your shoulders. Feel your neck and your head relaxing. Feel your entire body relaxing all over…" Danny focused on the points of his body as Jeremy said them. As soon as he wanted that particular body part to relax, it suddenly became warm and tingly in a pleasant sort of way.

"You can feel yourself relaxing now. You can feel heavy, relaxed and warm. And as I continue to talk, that heavy, relaxed feeling will get stronger and stronger until it carries you into a deep, peaceful state of calmness…" Jeremy's words were in time with Danny's breaths. "And the deeper you go… the deeper you are able to go… and the deeper you go… the deeper you want to go… and the more enjoyable the experience becomes…"

"Now you are resting comfortably in a deep, peaceful state of hypnosis, going deeper and faster and deeper and faster all of the time, until I bring you back. You will only accept those suggestions which are for your benefit, and that you are willing to accept." Jeremy's words made Danny feel assured. He wouldn't have to do things he didn't want to do.

"You can picture the photograph of you and D.K. going to the dance. She is wearing a dress and you are wearing khakis and a button down shirt. You can visualize the image clearly as if it's right in front of you. You can see her long black hair and your arm around her waist. Who is taking the picture?"

"Her father," Danny answered, without any hesitation.

"Good, that's good. D.K's father is taking the picture of you and her going to the dance. Are your parents there?"

"Only my mother," Danny replied again, not even stopping to think.

"Great, good job. So your mother is there and her father is there. What about anyone else?"

"Her mother is there too. Her mother is sick. She wanted to see D.K. go to her first dance," Danny spoke, his eyes remaining closed as he visualized the scene.

"That's nice. What is her mother sick from?"

"She has cancer. She's had it for a long time."

"That's very sad. Now, you're relaxed and moving deeper. Deeper and deeper. What happens after the picture was taken?" Jeremy asked, pulling Danny's subconscious trigger.

_"I think that's enough pictures!" D.K. groaned, biting her lip anxiously as she tugged on her dress. Their parent's laughed as though it was the most hilarious thing ever said. Danny shrugged, meeting her eyes as they both thought the same thing. Their parents were weirdos. _

_ "Seriously, we're going to be late if we don't leave soon," D.K. commented as more flashes went off. _

_ "Oh fine, stop being such a party pooper," her mother giggled as she touched her daughter's arm from her seat in her rocking chair. "Richard, are you going to drive them?" She asked her husband. _

_ "Yeah, just let me go grab my keys," he grinned, placing his camera on the table before leaving the room._

_ "I want to take that camera and hide it forever," D.K. whispered in Danny's ear, having to stand on her tiptoes in order to actually do so._

_ "Oh look! They're whispering!" Danny's mum giggled, grasping D.K's mother's hand in excitement. _

_ Danny groaned loudly. _

_ "On the count of three, we're running," Danny leaned down to whisper to her as he slowly made his way towards the front door. She blinked twice in understanding. _

_ "One…" he mouthed as he nonchalantly unlocked the door._

_ "Two…" she breathed, as their mother's looked up._

_ "Hey, what are you two-"_

_ "Three!" They shouted together, flinging the door open and pounding out onto the front lawn. They could here their mother's shouts of protest as they beat their legs against the hard road, trying to escape. _

_ "Ha! I'm in a dress and I STILL beat you!" D.K. laughed as they arrived at their school. Her hair was wind blown and her cheeks were pink._

_ "Yeah well, I let you win," Danny grinned, grabbing her hand with his as he led her to the door. _

"Danny? You're very deep now. Nod if you know what happens after the picture was taking. Do you see the moments? Can you picture the memory?" Jeremy's voice broke through the scene playing behind his eyelids. He nodded strongly.

"That is very good. You do not have to speak the memory, but keep it in your head, okay? You will not forget it. It is a part of your long-term memory. Now, picture the photograph of…"

This procedure went on for what felt like forever. Danny would picture each photograph in his head and they would walk through a series of events. Memories were flowing through him. He could picture them exchanging gifts on Christmas, making school projects, and buying Mars Bars. They had built a fort in her backyard and Danny had called it "Wonderland". He remembered crying on her shoulder when he learned that his parents were getting divorced, and when he found out it was because his father had cheated. He was handing bags of liquorish week after week to her mother, hoping to see her eyes smile like her daughters…

And then something changed.

_"It's her birthday. I want to get her something nice," Danny said as his friend Peter groaned with frustration. _

_ "So what? Just have your mum go out and get her something. Let's just go to Old Billy's and get some sweets-"_

_ "Just give me five more minutes, mate. Then we can go to Old Billy's. I swear," Danny promised as he scanned the isles of the small boutique. D.K. had said a couple of times how much she loved the little shop, and Danny wanted to show her that he cared for her. _

_ "Can I help you boys with anything?" Danny spun around quickly to see a middle-aged woman looking down at him suspiciously. _

_ "I… uh… my um… friend has a birthday on Friday. She likes this store…" Danny mumbled nervously. _

_ "Yeah, it's his _girlfriend_," Peter laughed from behind Danny, making him blush. _

_ The woman's angry disposition slowly morphed into a small grin. A lot of people gave him that look whenever he mentioned D.K, like it was weird to see a boy give a girl a present or something. _

_ "Well, what does she like?" The woman asked, still smiling. _

_ "She likes… running, and football. And animals. Oh and music. And Mars Bars…" Danny rambled on and on, clueless as to how this could help. _

_ "Does she like clothes?"_

_ "No, not really," Danny answered as he watched the woman's smile slowly slide off her face. _

_ "This could be a challenge," she mumbled as she turned around and started walking through the store. _

_ "How about this?" The woman suggested as she held up a small statue of a pink and white bear holding a heart. Danny cringed. _

_ "Um… she doesn't really like pink…" Danny explained. The woman frowned again. Peter was laughing behind Danny's back. _

_ They continued moving around the store, the woman picking various objects off the shelves just to have them turned down by Danny for one reason or another. Peter was growing restless again and Danny almost agreed to leave until he saw it. _

_ "You have posters here?" Danny asked as he moved away from the woman and towards the back of the store. There were about twenty posters held up in black metal frames lined up and ready to be looked through. Danny immediately started flipping amongst them. _

_ "Oh yes, we do. But mostly their classic rock bands. I thought that when you mentioned she liked music that you meant-"_

_ "This. This is perfect," Danny said, pointing to the poster in front of him and getting excited. _

_ "Bruce Springsteen? Are you sure? That's not really your generation…"_

_ "We love Bruce. This is the one. How much?" Danny asked, pulling his money out of his pocket. _

_ "Um… ten pounds." _

_ "Oh… really?" Danny asked, biting his lip. That was all his money. He wouldn't have any left over for Old Billy's. He wouldn't be able to get D.K's mum her liquorish. _

_ "Yeah, is that a problem?" The woman asked. _

_ "Um… no. Here you go," Danny said while handing over the money. He would just get her mum more liquorish next week. _

"I didn't get her the liquorish…" Danny mumbled, frowning as a heavy feeling of guilt hung throughout his chest.

"That's it Danny… some memories hurt but just let them flow. Why is the liquorish important?" Jeremy egged on, his voice still low and hypnotic.

Danny took a breath before thinking back. The liquorish…

_"D.J… I need to talk to you…" Danny looked up from the poster he was trying to wrap to see his mother standing in his doorway looking solemn. He frowned, noticing tears in her eyes. He'd never seen her cry. Not even when his dad left. _

_ He pushed the poster and the wrapping paper aside, making room for her on his bed. She sat down, looked at him seriously for a few moments before grabbing his hand. _

_ "D.J, you know that Mrs. Kelleher has been sick for a very long time," she began, speaking slowly. Danny gasped, automatically worried. _

_ "Oh no, is she in the hospital again? D.K. can sleep over here if she needs to, right?" Danny said quickly, needing assurance from his mother. _

_ "No, she's not in the hospital, D.J... Mrs. Kelleher died an hour ago. She didn't respond to the medicine," his mother said slowly, silent tears spilling out of her eyelids. _

_ "What? Died?" Danny was confused. He knew she was sick but… she couldn't die. _

_ "Mr. Kelleher just came by to tell me. I'm so sorry D.J." She was hugging him. Her head was on his shoulder and he could feel the fabric growing damp from her tears. He just stared a head of him, unable to believe it. _

_ "But…I don't… she can't die," Danny spoke, his heart suddenly hurting. He still had to get her more liquorish. He should have got her some already. He needed to make up for missing a week!_

_ "I'm so sorry D.J. Mr. Kelleher dropped this off for you it's from D.K," his mom passed a folded piece of paper to him. He took it and unfolded it without thinking. _

_ 'D.J… I just found out my mom died. I don't… I can't… I just don't know what to think. And now she's gone. And I just can't really seem to grasp onto anything right now. I feel like I'm floating or something. My dad… my dad just told me we're moving. I don't know where yet. I don't really care, actually. I just… we're supposed to leave on Friday… yeah, my birthday. It doesn't matter. Just… Don't take this the wrong way… but I can't see you right now. Actually, I can't see you anymore. It'll just hurt, okay? So… I'm sorry. I love you. Bye.'_

_ "What does it say, D.J?" His mum asked as he stopped reading. He swallowed in a daze_

_ "D.J?" _

_ "Don't call me that." He didn't want to hear it. It was all his fault. D.K. was gone. Her mother was gone. It was all his fault. _

_"What? D.J. what does it say?" His mother was growing worried. She reached out to take the letter from him._

_ "I said don't call me that!" Danny shouted, ripping the letter up and throwing it's remains over his shoulder. _

_ It was all his fault… It was all his fault… It was all his fault…_

"It's all my fault…" Danny mumbled, his eyes stinging with tears. All of the pain he'd been repressing for nearly ten years folded over him, making him grab his chest to make sure his heart was still there.

"Danny? Can you hear me? Go to your happy place. Listen to me. You can go to your happy place. Imagine it. See it. You're there." Jeremy's voice was distant. Danny tried to listen.

He was sitting on the stage. He was playing guitar. The pain lessened incredibly.

"Danny? You can come out of your trance now. I think we're done for today," Jeremy's voice was much louder. Danny opened his eyes and was surprised to feel tears streaming down his cheeks. He wiped them away quickly.

"Oh my god…" he sighed, feeling drained.

"Well I'm going to have to say that was successful," Jeremy nearly laughed, though still looking at Danny with concern.

"Yeah, it was…" Danny sighed, thinking over all the new memories fresh in his mind. It was like opening up a whole new world. He wasn't sure if he was supposed to be depressed or amazed.


	14. Chapter 14

**I'm uploading EVERY chapter of this right now. I'm at the laundromat and I realized I forgot to upload yesterday. And then I was like "I should just do them all, sense the story is finished..." so now, my gift to you all!**

Danny left Jeremy's office an hour or so after the hypnotism. Jeremy wanted to talk about Danny's newfound memories and make sure that he was feeling okay. All Danny wanted to do was go to sleep, despite the fact that it was only three in the afternoon.

He was lying on his bed with his hands folded over his eyes. He was dead tired, but the images kept running through his mind forcing him to stay away. He kept seeing D.K's young face and all the emotions she had shown.

He really wanted to talk to her – to reconnect with her. Then he'd finally have someone he could talk to about his past, apart from his mother who really didn't know too much about it in the first place. From what he could recall, he never told her what the letter said.

Jeremy told him again and again that it wasn't his fault, and Danny knew he was right. He'd been young. And for some reason he thought that not bringing D.K's mother some liquorish for one week was the reason she had died. And for some reason, his younger self thought that D.K. knew it and that was why she didn't want to see him.

Talking to Jeremy had been really useful. He could see himself being really good friends with the guy. He'd helped Danny put all his thoughts into the correct perspective and not over-think things.

But now Danny had nothing to analyze for himself. All he could do was sit there and bathe in all his new memories. And yearn to talk to D.K…

Danny rolled over and took the photo album off his nightstand. Flicking through the pictures made him feel normal. He could remember the events that had taken place and the moments of laughter that had been recorded onto the glossy photos.

But now that his memories were back, he _needed _to talk to her. Before he really remembered her, he thought it would've just been nice to find out more about who she was. But now he _knew _her. He remembered her. He wanted to see her so badly. She was like family and he'd let her slip away.

And then he started thinking about how she never tried to contact him after that. Not once. So maybe there really was some reason why she didn't want to see him anymore. It was probably the fuel to his whole "it's all my fault" feeling. If she suddenly hated him there had to be a reason.

Maybe she forgot about him too. It would be a crazy coincidence, but it was possible. If he got in contact with her they could find out all their old memories together.

And wouldn't that just be freaking adorable?

He continued flipping through the pictures. He'd memorized each photo down to the last detail, but he still didn't get tired looking at them. It was the only materialistic thing he had of her.

He stopped as he came to a picture that he had taken. It was of D.K. trying to talk on the phone to someone, but Danny was being obnoxious and getting in her face with the camera. She was laughing and trying to push him away.

Didn't Danny's mum say something about having her phone number? Could he really try calling her?

He didn't even have a second thought about it. Danny sat up and started looked around his room for his pants so he could get his phone. Once he finally located them he dialed his mum's number, praying she was actually there.

"Hello? Mum! Yes! I've got so much to tell you! I remember D.K! I'll tell you all about it later okay, but first do you still have that number her dad gave you? I would really like to see if I could get in touch with her again!" Danny grinned in excitement. There were butterflies floating around in his stomach. That hadn't happened since he was a boy.

"You still have it? Great! All right let me get a pen…" Danny started rummaging around his room, throwing things off his desk as he search for some sort of writing utensil. Finally, in a bowl that had something unmentionable growing in it, Danny randomly found a working pen. He jotted down the number on his arm as his mother read it to him. He read it back to her. It was correct.

"All right, thank you so much, mum. I'll call you back later tonight and tell you everything, okay?" Danny assured her before he hung up. He stared at the number written carefully on his arm as his heart beat quickly in his chest.

This was it. He was going to reconnect with her. All these years of feeling like no girl was ever good enough… it was all because he'd _had _the only girl good enough. And he was going to find her again.

He sat on the edge of his bed and slowly dialed each number into his phone. He swallowed before hitting send.

_"Ring… ring… We're sorry. The number you are trying to reach has been disconnected. Please hang up and try again." _

Danny stared at his phone as his heart broke. All of this excitement… just to find out the number didn't exist anymore? He'd even allowed himself to think that _maybe _she was _it_.

He was so freaking stupid.

He threw his phone on his desk before diving back under his covers. What a complete waste of excitement. It was like his emotions were on a crazy roller coaster. He just wanted it all to end. Could he just _stay _happy for a few days?

Danny knew he should call his mum back, but he didn't know if he really had it in him. The last thing he really wanted was to break down on the phone with her. That would be like admitting defeat.

There had to be other ways of finding her. She lived in London, right? He had a phone book. She could be in there?

He ran down the stairs and searched for the phone book that he never used. Once he found it crammed in the back of his junk drawer, he searched through all the K's, first looking for Richard and then for Danielle.

He found a lot of them.

So he started dialing one by one.

The conversations were limited. He'd call, someone would answer, and he'd make sure they were Richard or Danielle and then he'd ask if they lived in Bolton at one point in their lives.

No one had said yes yet.

"Hi, my names Danny. Have you ever lived in Bolton?"

"What? Um, why?" The thirty-seventh Danielle answered in confusion.

"I'm looking for someone I used to be close to," Danny replied honestly.

"Well, yes, I lived there a while ago. What did you say your name was?" She asked in interest.

"Really? I'm Danny, Danny Jones! Did you live on Skids Borrow Street?" Danny asked, his excitement flaring up again.

"Oh, sorry, no. I lived on Highland Road. I hope you find who you're looking for…" she said sadly before hanging up.

Twenty-six more calls later and Danny had given up. He had no numbers left to call. For some horribly annoying reason, she wasn't listed.

It would be just his luck. The one girl he happened to give a crap about was unobtainable.


	15. Chapter 15

The plectrum held carefully between Danny's thumb and index finger hummed gently in his hand as he strummed his guitar. He remembered using the same six strings and an empty arena as his Happy Place with Jeremy. Now it brought him absolutely no solace.

"Dan? I think… um, we're playing Too Close for Comfort…" Tom's voice cut into Danny's revere, sounding worried as everyone else stopped playing their instruments.

"Yeah, I know."

"So… what are you…? I think you're playing something else…" Tom frowned, clearly concerned.

"What?" Danny stopped strumming in confusion. What had he been playing, then?

"Dude, what were you just playing?" Tom asked the same question Danny was wondering. Tom still looked slightly worried that Danny was so out of it, but a new interest appeared across his face.

"Oh… it's just this thing that I came up with a few days ago…" Danny mumbled as he focused on what his fingers had just been strumming.

"Can you play it again?" Tom had a familiar look on his face. Danny recognized it immediately. His eyes lit up with a keen interest and his mouth pinched together as he listened and thought.

Danny repositioned his fingers and stared the song over. Tom's head was nodding methodically to the even beat.

"Do you have any lyrics?" Tom asked, totally engulfed in the new tune.

"Just a line or two. It's a work-in-progress…" Danny explained timidly.

"I really like it. The chords and tempo are soothing yet captivating. Do want any help with it?" Tom asked, looking eager.

Danny had always been the first to admit that Tom was the better songwriter between the two of them, but his friend never imposed on any of Danny's individual song ideas. He was very careful not to impose and always ran every decision by Danny because he respected the individuality and pride that went into creating a song.

"For now I think I've got it. If I need some advice I'll let you know for sure, though," Danny grinned tightly. Tom nodded in understanding.

"Yeah, just let me know. Can I hear the lines you've got now?" Tom asked, still curious.

Danny played him the lines and the chorus of whoa's he thought sounded pretty decent.

"Dan, this definitely had album potential. Do you think you could put together a couple verses and maybe a bridge by next week? We could lay down a demo and then get it into production…" Tom went rambling on as his mind was engulfed in work mode.

Danny bit his lip hesitantly. Was working on a song something he was capable of doing in his current state? All of his thoughts and feelings were lonely and depressing now that D.K. was occupying his mind…

"Yeah, I can try," Danny agreed before forcing himself to get to work

As a musician he knew that sometimes the only way to escape negative feelings was to write them out. It was like sharing his secrets with the world in a beautiful, artistic way. It made all his troubles seem much less significant in the scheme of things.

"Everyday feels like a Monday there is… no escaping from the heartache… now I, want to put it back together 'cause it's… always better late than never…" Danny trailed off as he jotted the words down on the white lined paper in front of him.

He tried going on but nothing he thought of was coming out quite right. He'd known that writing this song would be tough, and he could tell that his band mates were carefully looking on as they pretended to occupy themselves with other unimportant things.

Danny sat back in his chair and glanced around the room. There was little to no sunlight aiding the florescent lights that were trying to brighten the small room. The outside of the single window on the wall opposite him was covered in heavy raindrops…

"Wishing… I could be in California… I wanna tell ya' when I call ya'… I could've fallen in love… I wish I'd fallen in love…" Danny paused again only to write the words down.

Tom and Dougie had definitely paused what they were doing across the room to eavesdrop on his progress. He tried his best to ignore their stares.

"Out of our minds and… out of time… wishing I could be with you… to share the view… we could've fallen in love… whoa oh oh oh, whoa oh ohh oh. Whoa oh oh ohhh oh oh oh oh…" Even Harry had paused his normally persistent tapping on whatever object was closest to him to listen. Danny tried even harder to block it out. For the first time ever, a song was coming together perfectly for him. He wanted, no _needed_, to write it.

Danny thought back to his stay with his mum… back to when his new, crazy life had started… he was going to make this song count.

"Waking up to people talking and it's… getting later every morning… and I realize it's nearly midday and I've… wasted half my life – don't throw it away…" Another pause so he could quickly scratch the words down.

"Singing… everyday could be a new day… to make you smile and find a new way of falling in love… yeah, falling in love…" Danny then brought it back to his previous lyrics. He readjusted his guitar so he could look down at his lone piece of paper.

"Out of our minds and out of time… wishing I could be with you, to share the view…" He went back to the chorus of whoa's and as he played he built up the chords, making them stronger and more anthemic before bringing it to an almost quiet chant.

"Sick of waiting, I can't take it, gotta tell ya'… sick of waiting, I can't take it, gotta tell ya'… I can't take another night on my own so I, take a breath and then I pick up the phone… whoa oh oh… whoa oh oh… whoa oh ohhh oh oh… whoa oh ohh oh…" Danny continued the song repeating the last batch of words he'd pulled from the top of his head, thinking that they'd sound good sang in a round with Tom. "Oh, we could've fallen in love…" he tied off the last word by hitting each string of the chord individually, biting his lip as he let the last note hang in the air around him.

He knew that he'd need to figure out a way to work in a solo or a strong chord progression and the ending probably needed to be tightened up, but all in all he was actually really pleased with himself.

"Danny… did you just crank out the whole song?" Tom asked after a few seconds of complete silence.

"Well, I still think it needs some work," Danny replied as he glanced down at the rough draft of lyrics in front of him, "but I do think that I've got a pretty good base of what I want it to sound like," he finished confidently.

"That is… the _fastest _I've ever seen you work. And it actually sounds really good!" Tom blinked quickly as he picked up his guitar and sat across from Danny again.

"Now… show me."

Danny spent the next couple of hours teaching Tom the main chords for the song. They'd been through this process before with every other song they'd ever written. Tom was a very fast learner and picked up the new chords with ease, smiling over at Danny as they played through the verses together.

Danny grinned back, realizing that _this _was why the guitar had been his happy place. It was like giving birth to his child – it was something he created; something he could call his own.

But he still didn't feel complete. And his friends could tell.

"So, now that you've got your memories back, what are you going to do?" Harry asked as he bit into a slice of the pizza Dougie had ordered for their dinner. Danny chewed through his own slice carefully before answering.

"I tried getting in contact with her yesterday," he finally confessed. The only reason he hadn't told them already was because he was embarrassed. Danny had never tried so hard to reach a girl in his life. One phone call was usually all it took.

"What! What happened?" They were as surprised as he suspected they would be.

"Well, the number my mum gave me had been disconnected… so I tried the phone book…" Danny felt like he was admitting to committing a naughty thing. He was nearly blushing.

"Ha, how far did you get? There must be like a hundred Kelleher's in there," Tom laughed as he wiped pizza sauce off his face.

"Yeah, there were…" Danny wasn't quite ready to admit that he'd tried them _all_.

"Know what you _could _do?" Harry began through a mouthful of half chewed pizza. "You could look her up online. Maybe she has a Facebook or a Twitter or something. I hear the Internet is a great way to get in touch with old friends."

"Yeah, you know how that Internet is. I hear it's all the rage now," Dougie laughed, mocking Harry's well-known lack of computer skills.

"Shut it," Harry retorted, throwing a pepperoni in Dougie's direction.

But Danny didn't laugh along with the rest of his friends. Instead, he was actually considering Harry's strange suggestion. Could he possibly locate her online? He knew it would be difficult to pinpoint her… was it worth the try?

"Tom? Can I use your laptop?" Danny asked, looking over at his blond friend.

"What? Mate, are you serious? Are you actually listening to Harry?" Tom asked looking amazed.

"It's better than nothing, right?" Danny replied honestly.

"Well, I guess… I mean, if you think it'll work, I don't see why not…" Tom frowned slightly as he handed his laptop over to Danny after signing out of his account on every networking site he belonged to. Tom had learned not to trust his band mates after having his accounts molested many times.

Danny logged on to his own private Facebook account. He had a couple new notifications but ignored them as he immediately went to search through the astronomical amount of people who used Facebook. He typed in D.K's name and held his breath, hoping there wouldn't be too many…

Two hundred results were found.

Danny nearly cried at the thought, but he held it back determined not to look like an idiot in front of his friends. He slowly began flipping through each page, hoping to recognize her photo.

"You could try typing in London into the location filter," Tom suggested from behind him.

"But what if she isn't listed under London anymore?" Danny pointed out as he had already thought of the idea.

"Good point."

Danny went back to searching.

"This is going to kill me! There are girls on here that don't even have pictures… or use pictures of their dogs… or of cartoon characters… how does anyone ever find who they're looking for?" Danny asked twenty minutes later, extremely annoyed.

"Ha, you could just friend all of the ones you're not sure about. Then you'd know!" Harry laughed as he and Dougie played on the random ping-pong table they had set up in their studio.

Danny started clicking the friend request button.

"Danny! What are you doing! Don't keep listening to Harry!" Tom scolded him as Danny requested a Danielle Kelleher whose profile picture was a picture of something from Star Wars.

"Well what other choice have I got? I can still delete them when I figure out who they are…" Danny grumbled, requesting another girl who didn't even have a picture.

"This is so stupid. I should stop you. You're going to have thousands of girls crying at the end of this. You're basically giving your account out to the public right now… oh god… they're going to find _all_ of our accounts. You know, there are some pictures that I _really _don't think our fans need to see. And just because they're set to private doesn't mean no one can get at them… there is some creepy hacker stuff going on out there…" Tom continued rambling on as Danny clicked another friend request button. He had become very good at tuning Tom out.

Danny stopped after he'd requested nearly a hundred girls. One of them would have to be her, right? But what if she didn't have a Facebook?

"I'm going on Twitter, too," Danny informed Tom causing his friend to groan before going into an eccentric face-palm.

"_Twitter _too, Dan? Come on!" Tom seemed to have very little patience left.

Danny repeated the same process on Twitter as he had on Facebook. He typed her name into the search bar and began following people who had even the slightest possibility of being D.K.

"Danny… you're a Trending Topic…" Dougie's voice spoke up from behind Danny's right ear. Harry and Tom nearly fell over themselves as they rushed to look at the computer screen too.

Trending Topics were located in a small rectangular area on the right hand side of Twitter. The only way Danny could describe them was thinking that the site must've monitored popular trends in Tweets and picked out key words to put up under the headline Trending Topics, with the trends appearing in order of most discussed.

_#FollowMeDannyJones _was the number one trend among tweets.

"See! I told you this would happen! Our fans are smart – _obviously _they'd pick up on the fact that you're randomly following all these girls!" Tom's voice quipped up from his left.

"Mate… look at all the Danielle Kellehers… there's nearly twenty more pages then when you'd originally started…" Dougie pointed out as he motioned to the page numbers.

"That's weird…" Danny mumbled as he went back to his home page. Once there, he clicked his messages to see what some of the fans were saying.

Almost all of the messages in his inbox were from some variation of Danielle Kelleher. There was DaniKelle238 and DaNiElLeKeLL and Dkelleher904… the list went on and on.

"They _are _smart…" Danny sighed, shaking his head in frustration. They'd caught onto the trend of names he was following. Sneaky little buggers…

"Again, I told you so," Tom sounded smug.

"Well _crap_," Danny groaned.

Now what was he supposed to do?


	16. Chapter 16

"_We're going to play spin the bottle – come on!" His friend John yanked Danny out of the corner with D.K. as they tried to pretend they weren't stuffed in an uncomfortable basement. Their fellow classmate, Peter, was having his thirteenth birthday party. He was the oldest out of the group of them and the first official teenager. They all respected him for it. _

_ Danny sat in the circle and D.K. quietly slid onto the floor next to him. He glanced at her, trying to communicate his nervousness with his eyes. She knew he'd never kissed a girl before, and he knew she'd never kissed a boy. What if they both ended up looking stupid?_

_ Peter was the first to take the glass beer bottle he'd stolen from his father. He placed it carefully in the center of their circle and spun it with careful accuracy. The group of preteens held their breath as they all followed the bottle with their eyes; who would be the first?_

_ It landed on Maria Evans. Her large blue eyes widened into saucers as her cheeks blushed. She stood up and joined Peter on a short walk to his game closet. They went in and everyone fell silent, trying to here. _

_ Elizabeth Thorton let out a giggle. D.K. looked even more nervous. Danny was straining his ears to hear something… anything…_

_ And then they emerged, both with small, innocent smiles on their faces. _

_ They'd done it. They'd _kissed_._

_ "Next?" Peter said, handing the bottle to Derek Samson, the boy sitting on his left. Derek mimicked Peter and spun the bottle, watching nervously until it landed on Jamie Nickels. They too disappeared for a few seconds. _

_ Then it was D.K's turn. _

_ She shakily took the bottle and bit her lip. Danny knew she was freaking out. Would they talk about it later? Maybe she wouldn't want to be his friend anymore. She and the boy she landed on would probably end up dating or something. Then he'd be pushed to the side._

_ Danny's gut twisted. _

_ The bottle stopped and landed on Mark Finnegan, two spots away from Danny. _

_ They both disappeared. Danny held his breath, wondering what it was like. D.K. got her first kiss before him. Would she like it? _

_ They came out. D.K's cheeks were pink as roses and Mark was smiling. Danny watched anxiously as D.K. sat back down next to him, her eyes wide. _

_ "What was it like?" Danny whispered, extremely curious. _

_ "Nice…" She mumbled, not meeting his eyes. _

_ She was lying. He always knew when she was lying. _

_ But before he could press her for more information, the bottle was handed to him. _

_ He placed it in the center of the circle and spun it quickly, watching its tight whirling with his eyes. His stomach almost felt sick. _

_ It slowed to a stopped in front of Elizabeth. Her eyes lit up as she smiled. They both stood up and walked to the closet. The group on the floor seemed less nervous and they all broke out into little giggles. It made Danny's stomach hurt worse. _

_ Elizabeth closed the closet door behind her and the entire cupboard was thrown into darkness. Danny felt hot and sweaty and he was breathing too quickly. He tried to regulate his breathing – he didn't want to seem creepy. _

_ "So…" Elizabeth whispered, moving closer to him. She was only a couple inches away. Was he supposed to bend down and kiss her? Should he put his hands somewhere? On her shoulders, maybe?_

_ His stomach was doing painful back flips. _

_ "Should we…" she trailed off, moving even closer. Danny felt her chest touch his. _

_ "Uh…" This was when he was supposed to kiss her. He knew it. But he couldn't. _

_ "Is… something wrong?" She whispered sounding very confused. _

_ "I don't feel so-" Danny cut himself off as he felt his stomach heave. He moved away from Elizabeth and vomited behind him. _

_ "Ew!" Elizabeth screamed, running out of the closet. He heard the other's laughing. He knew he was going to be labeled a loser. He couldn't even kiss a girl…_

_ Then he felt someone's hand on his back. He spat the last of his sick out of his mouth and looked around. D.K's eyes met his in understanding and sympathy. He leaned back into her knees, thankful that he at least had one friend who wasn't laughing at his misfortune. _

Danny slowly woke up with embarrassment brewing in his chest. Even a decade later Danny still felt self-conscious about his first time playing spin-the-bottle. It turned out that he'd actually had the stomach flu and wasn't able to go to school for a week after that, but it was still a horrible experience for a kid his age to have to deal with.

It was weird though. He'd always remembered that night completely differently. He'd thought that he'd actually gone _through _with kissing Elizabeth and that she'd been his very first kiss. He'd always thought he'd thrown up later that night.

After meeting with Jeremy he started realizing a lot of his memories had been modified to exclude D.K. in some way or another. It was weird to think that most of his life he'd grown up thinking of his childhood in ways that never actually happened. It gave him a completely different point of view… and it was kind of freaky.

Danny rolled over in his bed and looked at his clock. He'd slept till nearly noon again. Maybe he subconsciously did it so he could dream about D.K. longer or something. It _was _the only connection he had to her, besides the pictures anyway.

He got out of bed and stretched, trying to ease some of the strain on his muscles. He grabbed a random pair of pants off his floor and threw them on, not really caring about a shirt or what he did with his hair. He left his room and hopped down the stairs to flop onto his couch. He wanted some nice and quiet rest and relaxation before he got to work on his song again.

He absentmindedly clicked on the TV as he comfortably shoved one of his hands in his pocket. He frowned as his fingers hit a piece of paper. Maybe he'd left some money in there?

Instead of pulling out a fiver like he expected, he pulled out a business card. When had he taken one of those? It read _Monica Van Doren – Private Investigator _in an elegant script.

She must've been the woman from the club. On any normal day Danny would have put so many moves on her. She was probably in her late twenties and had looked _fine _in her red dress, from what he could remember.

Why had he been such a downer? Oh, right, _D.K._

What had the Monica woman said? That she could find long lost relatives and stuff? Did that count as long lost friends? Maybe she could help him…

Danny laughed out loud at his own stupidity. No way would he stoop to that desperate of a level. He had more pride and honor than that. If he couldn't find her, he couldn't find her. That was that.

But on the other hand… was his pride really worth never finding his childhood best friend? The girl who slipped away? He could at least find her to apologize or something. They'd separated on such negative terms.

Danny looked at the business card in his hand. He trusted the woman enough to believe that she really could find D.K. She had seemed so confident at the bar.

What would he say if they reconnected? _Hey, I actually forgot all about you but I remember you now. Let's be friends! _No… even in his head he knew it sounded stupid. \

And what if she didn't even _want _to see him? She could have contacted him over the years. It wasn't like he was hard to find. He _was _Danny Jones… if she'd asked around town a couple times she definitely could've found him… right?

He threw the business card on his coffee table. She could've found him if she wanted to. He had no right imposing himself on her if she really didn't want to see him. Why waste the energy and the emotions? It was best to just leave things as they were…

But what if she thought the same thing? What if she wanted him to find her first?

Women were so complicated.

He picked the business card up again and groaned aloud to himself. He could just make the call. It didn't have to be anything serious. Maybe he could just get D.K's number and decide if he wanted to call her later. He didn't have to commit to anything right now…

He pulled his phone out of his other pocket.

"Um hi… is this Monica? Monica Van Doren? Um… yeah, my name is Danny Jones… we met at a nightclub a few nights ago… yeah, that was me. Um… you'd said that you could find, like, long lost relatives, right? Well… what about friends? You can? Yeah, let's meet. All right. Yeah, I know the place. Perfect. Yes, thank you…" Danny sighed as he hung up.

And he didn't feel any less proud or honorable.


	17. Chapter 17

Danny sat at the Starbucks on Market Street with a cup of black coffee in front of him and his photo album on the seat to his left. He kept repeatedly glancing around the shop, eyeing each new person who walked through the door to see if they resembled the private investigator. It would be an understatement to say that he was agitated.

"Danny? Danny Jones?" He spun his head around to see her. She looked much more professional than she had at the club. Her fitting pinstriped suit worked nicely with her black heels, but she still didn't look very approachable. She looked downright intimidating.

"Yeah," Danny replied as she sat down at the table across from him. She pulled a notebook out of her brief case and set it on the table in front of her as she searched for a pen. Danny didn't really know how to begin.

"Um… do you want a coffee or something?" Danny asked almost awkwardly, trying to make the situation less uncomfortable.

"Oh, no thank you," she replied as she finally straightened up and dated the paper in front of her. Danny swallowed, unsure what he was supposed to say. She didn't seem bothered at all.

"So Danny," she finally began, looking up at him with a soft smile on her face, "start from the beginning. Explain why we're here today so I can get the back story," she instructed as her fingers poised above the yellow pad.

"Um…" Danny stumbled, searching his brain. This was harder than he'd thought it would be.

"Don't be worried. We're just talking," she seemed to pick up on his nerves.

"Right," he replied, trying to focus, "well, you seen, growing up I had this best friend. Her name was Danielle Kelleher, but her nickname was D.K. so no one would get our names confused because I'm Daniel Jones. Anyway, we grew up together and everything until her mother died when we were thirteen," Danny explained, wondering how much he was supposed to include, "for stupid, young-kid reasons, I thought it was my fault her mother died or something. Anyway, D.K. wrote me a note telling me that her and her dad were moving and that she didn't want to see me again… so they left and I never got to say goodbye or anything… then my brain kind of repressed the memories of her. I had no idea who she was until recently, and now I want to find her again so maybe we can be friends again or something… I don't know. Do you think you can help? I've tried finding her on my own… she wasn't listed in the phone books and she doesn't have a Facebook or anything like that…" Danny trailed off, looking at Monica desperately. This was his last resort.

"I can definitely help you, but that's not important right now. What _is _important is for you to tell me as much as you know about where she went after she moved, what she looks like, who her father and other relatives are, and any other information that could be relevant, like her birthday, favorite activities and such," Monica listed off, staring at Danny expectantly.

"Oh… well I brought this," Danny put the photo album on the table so she could see. Monica's eyebrows lifted in surprise.

"A photo album? Well, this is useful," she commented, nodding her head approvingly as she flicked through the pictures while jotting things down on her notepad under her notes from Danny's initial speech.

"All right, appearance out of the way, tell me about her family life," she stated as she closed the album and handed it back to Danny. He held it in his lap securely.

"Her father was named Richard Kelleher and her mother was named Raquel. I don't know her mum's maiden name. Both sets of her grandparent's had died… she'd told me one Christmas when I asked why she got no presents from them… anyway… um… she was an only child… and I don't really know about cousin's or anything. From what I remember she didn't really have any close ones. She never really went to family reunion's any they never visited her," Danny scratched his head trying to search through the few memories he'd been able to recover. He could be missing so much still…

"Now… activities? Sports or anything?" She encouraged.

"She loved to run. She was _really _fast. I actually…" Danny paused as he thought over his words. He really didn't want to sound stupid… "I actually looked her up online… she was living in London when she was eighteen or so. She'd won a charity run… I don't know what it was called or any of the details…" Danny mumbled, biting his tongue. Monica's eyes perked up again.

"Really? Danny, you're giving me some really good stuff right now. There have been times when all I had to work with was a name or a photograph. We'll definitely find her," Monica laughed as she scanned her notes again.

"Really?" Danny asked, unsure of what his response should be. He knew he should be happy. But what would he do when they found her? Oh god…

"Yes! Now, tell me all the sources you tried to find her through."

"Um…" Danny thought back and listed them all to her. A small smile spread across her face.

"What?" Danny asked, growing a little bit irritated. He didn't want her to think he was being stupid.

"Don't be offended. I actually think this is really sweet," Monica explained as she read his expression.

He continued to frown.

"No, seriously. Many, _many _girls would be fighting for this much attention from you… or from _any _guy for that matter. D.K. is lucky, Danny. And she'll see it when we find her," Monica explained, meeting his eyes.

_When _we find her.

She'll _see _it?

"Um… right now… I'm just curious about finding her. I'm not sure… if I'm ready to talk to her yet… you know…" Danny bit his lip as an overwhelming feeling rippled through him. Monica quickly jotted something down on her notepad.

"Right. No contact as of right now. Good to know," she nodded to her self.

"Yeah, all I'm really looking for is like a phone number or an address or something… just something to know that if I need to, I _can _talk to her," Danny explained, watching as Monica wrote down what he was saying.

"Right. I understand. A lot of people feel this way when dealing with people they haven't seen in a very long time. Most people wonder if they'll even be remembered," she commented, looking at him knowingly.

He bit his lip. She knew, didn't she? He might as well come clean.

"I'm just… I don't want to talk to her if she doesn't want me to. I mean, she could've found me at some point over the years. She might've meant what she said in her note…" Danny finally explained his worry. Monica looked very understanding.

"Has it occurred to you that she _might _have tried to contact you? She could have called or even came to your house. Are you telling me that you never get fans trying to get in touch with you?" She seemed to understand his pop star status.

Of course she did. It was her job to _know _people.

"Yeah but I would've know she was-"

"Did you just say that up until recently you didn't even remember her? You could've turned her away and you would've never known it," Monica offered a new perspective. Danny shook his head in denial as soon as she started talking, though.

"No, I would've recognized her. I've been dreaming about her for years. That was how I recognized her when I first saw these photos," Danny tapped the album with his index finger, "if she'd shown up at my house or if I'd bumped into her somewhere I would've recognized her. I wouldn't have known who she was, but I wouldn't have turned her away," he was trying to convince himself of the fact.

"What if she had tried calling?" Monica asked, her eyes objective.

"I-" Danny stopped himself, thinking about his answer. What would he have done?

He wouldn't have been able to see her, so he couldn't recognize her. And her voice was probably nothing like her voice in his dreams. He imagined that it'd become fuller and womanlier.

"I would've… I would've thought she was a fan…" Danny mumbled sadly. "I would've hung up."

"See? So she could have tried to find you, Dan. Now it's your turn to find her."

He knew she was trying to make him feel better, but he only felt worse.


	18. Chapter 18

"Don't touch that!" Danny snapped as Dougie readjusted his guitar pedals. Danny had just spent an hour getting them hooked up and Dougie was trying to move them to a different part of the studio. Didn't he notice Danny bent over uncomfortably for a stupid amount of time?

"Sorry! Jeez…" Dougie mumbled as he whipped his hands off the pedal board. "I need to get my amp out though…"

"Why?" Danny asked, annoyed.

"Um… well if you _must _know, I think it blew a fuse. I was about to go take it to the repair shop-"

"Don't bother. I'll look at it," Danny grumbled as he placed his guitar on a stand and went over to Dougie's bass amp.

"Dan, you can't fix a blown fuse. It needs new parts," Dougie sighed as he followed his friend.

"How do you know it's even blown a fuse? You could just have it adjusted wrong," Danny remarked as he bent down on one knee and looked over Dougie's settings.

"Dude, I've been setting this amp for years. I know how to work it."

"Right…" Danny replied sarcastically. Dougie swore angrily under his breath.

Danny knew he was being a jerk, but his patience was running low. It had been two days since he talked to Monica and she _still _hadn't called him back with any news. Even a simple _I'm still working but it's coming along _would've made him happy.

"Yeah, it looks like you blew a fuse," Danny commented a few moments later as he fiddled with the back of the amplifier.

"That's what I said. Now can I move your pedals so I can get it by?"

"No, go around," Danny ordered, not wanting to mess with his newly adjusted pedals.

"Are you serious? That's like twice the trip." Danny could tell Dougie was getting annoyed. He welcomed the fight.

The four of them rarely ever fought. When it happened it was normally because they were over tired or under fed. But it did happen.

"Well you'll just have to deal," Danny replied as he moved away from the bassist and back over to the guitar.

"Danny, don't be a dick. Seriously, you're acting like you're on your period or something," Dougie snapped, finally taking enough of Danny's negative attitude.

"_I'm _being the dick? Nice, coming from you."

"Are you _kidding _me right now? Seriously, go home if you're going to be this stupid," Dougie nearly yelled causing a new fire to light in Danny. He needed this vent for his anger and annoyance.

"I'm not being stupid! I've worked on my pedals since lunch and now you want me to move them? Way to be selfish!" Danny retorted as he picked his guitar back up.

"Dude, they're on a stand on _wheels_! My amp is fucking heavy. YOU want to move it? Be my guest!" Dougie yelled back, his arms wide as he gestured for Danny to go ahead.

"I'm not the one who plays so loudly that I break my amp. Your problem, you fix it," Danny shrugged, turning away and striking a rough chord. Dougie made a weird noise between a groan and a shriek and he threw a plectrum at Danny.

"Don't throw shit at me!" Danny yelled as he stopped blaring loud chords.

"Then stop being a jerk!"

"I'm not being a jerk!"

"Yes you ARE!"

"Fuck you!"

"FUCK _YOU_!"

"HEY!" Danny and Dougie had moved in front of one another and were right up in each other's faces. Danny's fists were shaking. They both took a step back and looked over at Tom and Harry who had just entered the room. They'd just gotten back from lunch.

"What on _Earth _happened?" Tom asked, looking at his friends with wide eyes.

"He's being an asshole!" Dougie shouted first, pointing at Danny.

"I just don't want him moving my stuff!" Danny yelled back.

"I only touched it because I need to get my amp out! You're taking up the entire isle with your shit!"

"Fuck you!" Danny went back to his favorite line.

"HEY!" Tom yelled again, silencing them. "Will you two shut it and listen to yourselves? You're acting like a bunch of kids…" he sighed as he looked at Harry.

"Yeah, seriously, we left for a half hour and you're about to kill each other," he added after the look from Tom.

"He's been acting like this _all day_. I can't deal with him when he's got that stick up his arse-"

"Dougie! Seriously, shut up!" Danny snapped as he went back to his pedal stand, checking them over to make sure Dougie hadn't touched them too much.

"See what I mean?" Dougie continued, looking at Tom and Harry for support. Danny shut his eyes and breathed, fighting off the urge to throw something at the young bassist.

It was silent for a few moments as Danny finished checking his pedals. They all _seemed_ fine…

"Dan, are you all right? You _have _been acting a bit… stressed," Tom finally spoke, choosing his words carefully.

"I'm fine!" Danny said, trying to sound cheerful. It sounded too forced.

"You know… if the pressure for writing that song is too much, you don't have to have it finished by next week. Take as much time as you need…" Tom offered, trying to resolve what he thought was the issue.

Danny sighed again as his anger started to subside. He knew he was being a jerk. Dougie was right. And he felt bad for getting his friend all riled up but… well… misery loves company.

"It's not the song," he finally explained as guilt washed through him. Reasoning was starting to enter his brain and he knew he shouldn't take his frustration out on his friends.

"Then what is it?" Harry asked lightly, not wanting to set Danny off again.

"I'm just… really _anxious_ right now. I'm supposed to be getting a call and it hasn't come yet and I'm just… I'm just growing impatient I guess…" Danny tried to explain. He hadn't told his friends about hiring a private investigator. Some things were better left unsaid.

"Is everything okay? Is someone hurt or something?" Tom asked, looking concerned.

"No, everyone's fine. It's a… personal call…" Danny finished, not wanting to be any more specific.

"Well that's all fine and dandy, but can I _please _get my amp out now?" Dougie asked after a few moments of silence. Danny didn't look at him as he wheeled his pedal cart out of the way.

"_Thank _you," Dougie sighed as he started pushing his bass amp towards the door.

"Yeah, sorry Doug… I was trying to get my anger out and you were the only one here…" Danny apologized quickly, not meeting his friend's eye.

"No problem, mate. Just let me know the next time you need to vent so I can see it coming," Dougie responded as he pushed his amp by Danny who chuckled lightly at the bassist's reaction.

And as easily as fights started, they were resolved.

"Don't think about it too much, Danny. You'll get the call soon," Tom finished as he patted his friend's back. Danny nodded, trying to believe him.

And then his phone started vibrating in his pocket.

No way.

He looked at the caller I.D… it was Monica.

The smile on his face must've given him away. Tom and Harry both started chuckling.

"See what I mean?" Tom laughed as he passed by Danny to get to his guitar. Danny grinned in relief as he finally answered the call.


	19. Chapter 19

"So what is it? Did you get her number? Her address? Her email? Please tell me she didn't have a Facebook all along and I friend requested all of those people for nothing," Danny sighed as he entered Monica's office. It felt like the blood in his veins was ready to jump out of his skin with excitement. He couldn't sit still. Danny started pacing in front of her desk.

"Danny, you should sit," Monica said, pointing to the tan chair place directly in front of her desk. Danny moved to it but didn't sit. He was too keyed up.

"I can't sit. Just tell me. Tell me everything you found out," Danny demanded as his foot started tapping on the floor.

"Sit and I'll tell you," she smiled.

So he sat.

"Right. Danielle Caroline Kelleher. Born February seventeenth to Richard and Raquel Kelleher in Manchester Hospital. Lived in Bolton for the first thirteen years of her life where she received adequate marks in all her classes. Her mother died of acute lymphoblastic leukemia at age thirty-seven, when Danielle was thirteen years old. Her and her father then moved to East London where they lived until Danielle graduated secondary school. While in school Danielle achieved top marks in all her classes and on her GCSE's. She was awarded a track scholarship to attend University, which she denied. She won four different junior track competitions and has raced for an assortment of charities including Teenage Cancer Trust and the Make A Wish foundation. After secondary school her and her father moved more into the city. Instead of attending University she stayed home to take care of her father who was diagnosed with prostate cancer during her last year of secondary school..." Monica looked up from where she was reading and glanced at Danny. All of the air had left his lungs.

He wanted to hear more, but wasn't sure if he could take it.

"Go on…" He mumbled, gulping loudly.

"He died a month ago," Monica finished reading from the printed piece of cream colored paper, her eyes meeting Danny's as the last of her information sunk in.

He lowered himself into the seat, not sure that he trusted his legs. Her father just died? She had no one left?

"I… I wish I'd know…" Danny sighed, upset that he hadn't been able to say goodbye. He remembered her dad. He remembered that he'd always liked him. It was difficult for him to process.

"There was no way you could've known unless you read the obituaries daily. Here, I have the article if you want to read it," Monica handed him a photocopied newspaper article. There was a black and white picture of her father, just like Danny had remembered him, just with a few more wrinkles around his eyes.

_Richard Kelleher died at age 47, leaving behind his daughter, Dani. Richard owned and managed his own printing company and loved working with children. After the death of his wife over a decade ago, Richard put up residence in London where he was originally born. Richard intends to leave a portion of his savings to the children's hospital. _

Danny put the article down. It told him almost nothing. He knew that D.K. hadn't written it. It sounded too robotic.

"I can't believe this…" Danny's once excited heart now beat with immense sadness. Life wasn't fair.

"I know it is very hard to take in. I'm sorry this news had to be so bad," Monica replied sympathetically, actually sounding a little upset.

"Please… _please _tell me you've found something. Tell me you found _anything _that could help me get in contact with her," Danny nearly choked out. This was far from how he'd imagined this meeting going.

"Danny, I'm the best at what I do," she almost seemed offended as she handed him a small piece of paper no bigger than an envelope. He glanced down and read the words. The read them again. And again.

"You've got her… _address_," Danny sighed, unable to believe it.

"Yeah, and her phone number. Oh, and her email address. And if you really want it, a list of all her past employers as well," she commented off handedly. Danny couldn't talk. His mouth had gone dry.

"Danny? Are you happy?" Monica asked after a few moments of silence.

"I… I don't know…" Danny replied, still not fully able to have everything sink in.

"Well, think about it," Monica started as she propped her feet up on her desk, "you now have the ability to get into contact with the one girl in the world right now who could really use a friend. A _life _long friend. Someone who knew her father at his best. You could be that friend," Monica spoke softly.

"But… I missed everything else. I missed her growing up… and she probably has other friends… ones that know him… _knew _him…" It almost hurt Danny to correct himself.

"But you knew him from the beginning. Before all her other friends ever met him. You're like her childhood family, Danny. You're all that's left of that time of her life. Don't you think she might like someone to talk to about it?"

"I don't know… she might not want to see me at all…" Danny confessed, looking down at the obituary again.

"Shouldn't she be the one to make that decision? Don't give up before you've even tried, Danny," she breathed.

Monica could've become a therapist. She was good.

"I… I need to think. I need to let all this new information sink in…" Danny tried to clear his mind.

"You do that then, okay? Don't hesitate to call me with any questions, either. The best part of my job is when people finally get closure, and I really hope you get yours," Monica said honestly as Danny stood up to leave.

"Yeah, thank you, a lot. You've done amazing," Danny replied as he made to leave.

Once he got back out to his car he sat in the drivers seat without moving. What was he supposed to do? Should he go to the address Monica gave him? Should he just go home and wait awhile for the news to sink in?

Her father had literally just died. He didn't even know what kind of a state she'd be in. When her mother had died she didn't even want to see him…

So what would make now any different?

Danny turned on his car and lightly placed all of the paper's Monica had given him into the passenger's seat face down.

He couldn't even think about seeing her now. If anything she'd probably just tell him to leave. She wouldn't want reminders of her passed. She would probably just want to forget everything…

Danny sighed as Monica's words cut into his brain. It wasn't for him to decide what she wanted or didn't want. For all he knew D.K. could want to see him more than ever (though it was probably unlikely…).

He'd give it a week. One week. If by the end he hadn't talked himself into burning all the information, he'd go see her.

One week.


	20. Chapter 20

Danny drummed his fingers on his steering wheel. He'd been sitting in the parked car for nearly ten minutes. It wouldn't be that hard to get up… get out… walk to the door… ring the doorbell…

God, he was such a coward.

The house was small but cozy looking. It was a dark gray color with black shutters. The front door was probably a hundred feet away from him, through a small garden with a couple plants. He could just get out and knock…

There was one car in the driveway. It was a small Subaru. Nothing too fancy. But it was the reason why Danny parked across the street and kind of out of sight. It meant she was home.

Why was he being so childish? He'd built up enough courage over the past week. Where had his braveness gone? He'd done much more intimidating things before. He'd played concerts to hundreds of thousands of people. He'd met the _Queen_. This should be nothing.

Yet his insides felt like rubber. He was glad he'd decided not to eat that morning.

Danny took a deep breath and reached for his door handle. This would be simple. He could do this.

The moment he went to open his door a small movement came from the house. His eyes glanced up to see _her_. It was D.K. and she was leaving the house. She was wearing a plain blue shirt and jeans. But the sight of her – the _actual _sight of her – made Danny's eyes widen in fear and happiness and excitement and sadness all at the same time. Her black hair (which she still wore very long) was swinging in a low ponytail behind her head. Danny watched quietly as she got in her car and pulled out of the driveway.

Well… now what was he supposed to do? Should he sit her until she got back? He could just leave…

Danny sighed as he turned his car on and put it into gear. It would be just his luck to finally gather the courage to talk to her, just to have the moment slip away. He'd never had this much trouble with a girl in his entire life. Why was she so different?

Probably because he didn't want to treat her like every other girl he'd been with. He couldn't imagine using her for one night and then leaving the next day. The thought almost seemed barbaric. He couldn't just _leave _her again. Not after all the effort he'd put in to find her.

But who was to say that anything would even happen? If they _ever _talked (which, by Danny's luck, didn't look like it was going to happen any time soon) nothing might come of it. She might smile politely and give him some tea, have him leave a few moments later and that would be that.

The thought almost hurt.

Danny drove a good fifty yards behind her. He didn't want to get too close just in case. She stopped at a stop sign and turned left, exactly where Danny needed to go. He frowned, a little frustrated that he'd have to follow her some more.

He wondered where she was going. Maybe she needed some milk from the market. She didn't look like she was going anywhere fancy, not that she'd been one for dressing up for any sort of event. She could've changed though…

She was turning right. Danny needed to turn left again… but if he went right he could turn left at the next side street. Maybe he could just see if she was going…

No, that'd be weird. He couldn't _follow _her. Wasn't that considered stalking? That was exactly what he needed in the press.

But he turned right anyway. Maybe if she was just going somewhere near by…

Danny followed her for four more blocks, hating himself the entire time. This was so below him. First he used a private investigator to find D.K. and now he was stalking her through the back streets of London. If he kept this up he'd win an award for creepiness.

She pulled into a parking lot. Danny pulled into a parallel parking spot across the street. The shop she'd pulled into was a small café with outdoor seating under small black umbrellas. She took a seat at one of the shaded tables.

He watched as she pulled a small book out of her bag and a waitress approached her. D.K. ordered something quickly and smiled politely as the waitress left.

He could go into the café and pretend that he'd just randomly bumped into her. That'd be all right, wouldn't it? That way it wouldn't look as weird as him just randomly showing up at her house, or calling her private house phone…

Again, Danny reached for his door handle. He got the door halfway open when a man walked through the café doors to the outdoor seating area. He took a seat across from D.K.

Danny quietly closed his door. She had a boyfriend. He should have known. She was a pretty girl and he hoped she was still as nice as she was when they were growing up. Any guy would kill to have her.

The man started talking. A waitress showed up and handed D.K. a glass of ice water. She accepted it graciously and turned back to the man across from her. He was nearly ten years older than her. Danny suddenly felt protective.

The man was talking again. Danny wished he could read lips or something. She sat there nodding, not meeting his eyes. She looked extremely sad.

What was this man saying to her? He was leaning in towards her in a comforting position, but whatever he was saying was not helpful.

D.K. was starting to cry.

Danny's breath left him in a second. He almost got out of the car but he held himself back. This man was making her cry. He reached a hand out and touched her. She pulled her hands back as he continued talking. She was wiping her tears away, trying to stay strong.

Danny pulled out his cell phone. He needed information.

"Monica? Hi, I need some help. Are you busy right now? Perfect. Do you know where the… Sunshine Café is? Great, meet me there as soon as you can, okay? I'm sitting across the street in my car," Danny explained, hoping that she could spread some light on the situation. He needed to know who this guy was and why he had the right to make D.K. cry.

Ten minutes later Danny watched as Monica pulled into the spot next to him. He was positively agitated. D.K. was crying again and the man was still talking. He'd moved closer to her and had tried to put his arm around her but she pushed it away.

Monica opened Danny's passenger side door and sat next to him. She looked across the street and laughed.

"Danny, you do realize that I have to report any suspicious activity, right? Including stalking?" Monica commented lightly.

"He's making her cry though," Danny sighed, biting his lip in frustration.

"Why don't you get out and say something then?" Monica asked as she pulled out a large manila folder.

"It would freak her out, wouldn't it? Me randomly showing up there?" Danny was trying to convince himself. "But anyway, do you know who that guy is? Is it her boyfriend or something? You never told me if she was seeing someone…"

"Well," Monica began as she flipped through the many papers she'd pulled out of the folder, "from what I could tell she wasn't dating anyone. And if she is it certainly isn't that guy." She pointed out the window towards the man across from D.K.

"So who is he?" Danny asked, flabbergasted.

"Hold on…" Monica was flipping through the pages so fast Danny couldn't even see the information written on them. Were they _all _about D.K? And she said that _he _was stalking…

"It's her father's lawyer," she finally explained, holding up a picture of the man in a suit. There was a brief description below it about some law agency. Danny didn't even bother reading it.

"So… what is he doing here then?" Danny asked, a little annoyed. If the guy was a lawyer, how come he was trying so hard to comfort her?

"He might be going over her father's will… though normally they'd do that a week or so after the death. So, honestly, I don't know," Monica looked a bit annoyed herself. Danny assumed she normally knew everything, and the fact that she had no idea about what was going on probably made her frustrated.

"Well… all right. Thank you for your help again, Monica," Danny sighed, realizing there was nothing left for her to do.

"No problem, Danny. Just… I do _have _to tell you, I deal with a LOT of creepy people. You know, the ones that want to know every little detail about someone. That's not my job. I don't aid stalkers," she spoke clearly, "I try to help people reconnect. So I've got to tell you that from here on out, you're on your own. I've given you all the information I can," she almost seemed reluctant inform him.

"I know… I know… I'm sorry if this was weird. I'm just… a bit nervous," Danny explained, hoping she didn't think he was a super creep.

"I understand. That's why I haven't turned you over to the police," she smiled kindly as she opened the passenger side door and stepped out. "I wish you the best of luck, Danny. I truly hope everything works out," she said kindly before she closed the door and went back to her car.

Across the street the man was standing up from the table. D.K. still had a few rebel tears streaming down her cheeks as she hiccupped. The man patted her shoulder a few times before finally leaving her to herself. She sat there for a few more minutes and then packed up her things as well. Then she went back to her car.

Without hesitating to think, Danny turned his engine over and put his car in gear.


	21. Chapter 21

Danny found himself in the exact same position that he was in nearly an hour before. His car was parked across the street from her house, cleverly out of sight, and he was fighting with his inner demons about going up to the house.

He knew he was being ridiculous. The anticipation for the rejection he could _possibly _receive was worse than the actual rejection would be. Why could he just get out of the car?

The sun was starting to set behind the houses and the small suburban streetlights turned on. Danny glanced over at D.K's house and watched as a light clicked on in one of the front rooms. She was in there. Right now.

As he took a deep, steadying breath, Danny reached behind him to the back seat and grabbed a large white paper bag he'd put there at the beginning of his trip. There was no turning back.

He jumped out of the car and locked it behind him. The air was cool and he tightened his light jacket around his arms as he slowly but surely made his way towards her front garden. He followed a small brick path over the grass and to the front stoop. Flowers lined the path and brushed against the ankles of his jeans. She'd become really good at gardening.

He quietly reached the wooden door. There was a small black doorbell near his right hand. It would be easy to turn around. She would never know he was here…

His finger punched the bell. It rang quietly. His heart stopped beating.

It seemed as though the world around him seemed to pause and wait as the seconds ticked by. Silence rang in his ears and he strained to hear something – anything – from the other side of the door. Maybe she wasn't taking any visitors?

Then he heard footsteps. She was walking across a hardwood floor towards the door. What if he sprinted away? He was still fast – he might be able to hide-

The door opened. And his heart started to beat again. Double time.

She was a full head shorter than him now. Her eyes, red and puffy from crying, met his in what was first confusion and then slowly morphed into surprise – almost fear. Her eyes became so wide they looked like they were about to fall out.

She stood there and stared. He would have to say something. But his mind was blank. He completely forgot how to talk.

"Uh… um, hi," Danny croaked out, trying to swallow and coat his throat so it didn't sound so scratchy. She just kept staring.

This was a horrible idea. She looked terrified. What was he supposed to say?

"I uh… you might not remember me… my name is Danny, Danny Jones," Danny began nervously, scratching the back of his head with his free hand. The other was hiding the white bag behind his back. "But… we… we used to be, well, friends…" Danny trailed off, hoping she'd say something. He just needed her to stop staring at him as if he was an alien.

But her eyes kept staring unblinkingly up at him. He felt absolutely sick with himself. This was the worst idea he'd ever had – and he'd had some _pretty _bad ideas in his life.

"Maybe I shouldn't have come… I just wanted to say… well, I heard about your dad…" he trailed off, hoping that he wasn't being insensitive. "I wanted to come say I was sorry…"

There was silence. She finally blinked and her eyes went from being the size of the moon to a normal, surprised expression. Danny shifted his weight from one foot to the other and scratched the back of his head again.

"Do you want to come in?" Her voice was exactly as Danny imagined it would be. It was husky but feminine, but that could have been because she'd just been crying. Or that's what it looked like anyway.

Danny almost forgot that she'd asked him a question. Her voice had distracted him.

"Uh, yeah," he replied, not expecting to be asked inside. Did she remember him? Or was she just being polite?

She stepped back and opened the door a bit wider. The room he walked into was set up in tones of red, orange, and yellow. Almost like a warm fire. Lamps were glowing in all four corners of the room and D.K. led the way to a sofa placed on the back wall. Danny followed, unsure what to do with himself. He felt too large – too out of place.

She sat in the corner and he followed her lead, taking a seat two cushions away. He didn't want to crowd her. He hid the bag out of her sight.

"I…" she began, trailing her sentence off and looking at him curiously. This was too surreal. It was like one of his dreams had come to life.

"I'm sorry I didn't call ahead of time," Danny quickly said, realizing that he probably needed to give her some sort of explanation for turning up at her house randomly. "It was hard enough working up the courage to ring your door bell. I don't think I trusted myself with a phone. I would've probably hung up every time," Danny blushed, embarrassed.

"It's okay…" she said quietly, looking at him curiously. "I'm just… confused." She finally looked away from him and down at her hands, which she was wringing nervously in her lap. Danny was just thankful that he wasn't holding a one-sided conversation anymore.

"About what?" He encouraged her to continue.

"About… why you're here…" her voice was tiny; insecure. This was a new D.K.

"Well… I heard about your dad…" he tried again, wondering if she'd have him explain further.

"Yeah, but… never mind. Thank you for coming by," she held her head high, meeting his gaze blankly. Despite how much her cold stare hurt, Danny was able to recognize the old D.K. a little bit more. This was the girl he knew; the girl that showed her emotions with careful hard headedness.

"I'm sorry I haven't come by any sooner… I just found out. If I'd have known…" he trailed off, unable to finish his sentence without lying. What would have changed if he'd known sooner? Nothing. He wouldn't have remembered her then. It wouldn't have even fazed him.

"Look, it's very nice that you came by and everything but why… just… never mind. Look, I've got to head to bed… I've got an early day tomorrow…" She was trying to kick him out. It was only eight o'clock. She was lying.

"No, what were you going to say?" Danny asked, needing more time with her. He didn't want to leave when she was still mad.

"Nothing. I wasn't going to say anything." She wasn't looking at him. She was hugging her arms to herself, avoiding his gaze.

"Look, D.K.-"

"I don't go by that anymore," she cut him off, "I'm Dani now."

"Well we don't want to get confused, do we?" Danny tried to joke, smiling lightly. She didn't return his smile. His slowly slid from his face.

This was going all wrong. It almost hurt to think that there was no resurrecting their old relationship. Or at least a _friendly _relationship. She seemed determined to get him out of there.

"Okay… _Dani_… I'm really trying. I… I've been thinking a lot about the old days lately. I miss them. I… I miss you. I don't want all of it to be wasted…" Danny confessed, knowing fully well that he was putting his heart on the line for the first time in his life. And he was probably going to get very hurt by it.

"Are you serious?" She asked incredulously, finally meeting his gaze, though she was staring at him as if he was insane.

"I – yeah-"

"Danny, I _tried _reconnecting with you. You shut me down completely," she spoke as if she was talking to a young child, spelling it out for him. His stomach fell and he inwardly wanted to cry. He was afraid for this.

"I can explain-"

"I'm sure you can," she cut him off again, looking away, "but I don't really know if I want to hear it. I tried calling you up, remember? You basically said I was a daft idiot and should never call you again. But I guess you must get annoying fans calling you all the time now that you're a big pop star." She stood up and paced away from him. "Now I really would like for you to leave. I'm serious-"

"No, you've got listen to me!" Danny was growing desperate. He needed to be able to explain himself.

"Excuse me? I don't have to do anything," her attitude spewed out as she spun around and glared at him.

"No, you really need to understand! It's a long story-"

"Oh I'm _sure _it is-"

"D-Dani you can throw me out and tell me you _never _want to see me again, but _please _let me explain myself. I promise I'll never talk to you again if that's what you want, but you need to hear the whole story!" Danny was clawing at desperation. He wanted her to believe him so badly.

She stared down at him with her arms cross against her chest. He held her gaze, nearly breaking down and leaving, until she finally heaved a sigh of defeat.

"You've got five minutes to explain, then," she caved.

Danny's heart leapt. It must've shown on his face because she was wagging a finger in his direction.

"But as soon as you finish you're _out _of her, okay?"

"If that's what you want, I'm gone," he promised, nodding his head. She held his gaze for a few seconds before sitting back down and looking at him expectantly. He realized his time was ticking away.

"Right! Okay, so bear with me in the beginning okay? It's kind of… weird. But…" he didn't even know where to begin. This was going to be very hard.

She started tapping her foot on the ground.

"Okay… remember… damn, this is horrible, but remember when your… mum died?" He asked carefully. Her eyes widened in shock.

"Why on _earth _would you bring that up, _now_?"

"Just… do you remember writing me a note? Telling me that you and your dad were moving to London and that you didn't want to see me before you left?" He asked, trying to quickly get off the topic of her mother.

"Yeah. I was upset. Are you trying to blame this whole thing on me?"

"What? No – no just listen," Danny shook his head, knowing he was losing time. "When I read that note… well… it upset me. A lot. A week before I was shopping for your birthday present and only had _just _enough money for it. Remember how I used to buy your mum liquorish on a weekly basis? I skipped that week for the first time, thinking that I would just double up the next week. But then… she died. And you were so angry, I honestly… well, the small thirteen-year-old boy that I used to be thought that it was all my fault. For some strange reason I equated the liquorish to your mother's health. And when I missed a week… I thought that I caused her to die…" Danny trailed off, speaking honestly for the first time in a while.

"So what? You've avoided me for more than ten years because of that?" She asked, disbelievingly.

"No, there's more," Danny said, trying to talk quickly. "That was just the beginning." He clarified, trying to figure out how he'd go on. How could he put everything in words… and have her _believe _him?

"After your note, I told my mom I didn't want to be called D.J. any more. I was so angry and I felt so guilty. And I thought you hated me and all of those horrible feelings hurt so much. It's weird to explain… but…" Danny glanced up at her nervously, "my brain started to… repress all the memories I had of you."

They sat in silence for a few seconds as Danny let that little piece of information sink it. It was weird for him to hear it said aloud.

"You repressed me?" She asked disbelievingly. Oh god, he was losing her.

"My brain did, yeah. But I dreamed about you all the time. It was almost like my brain wanted to forget all about you, but I just couldn't let you go. I dreamed about you for years – they were memories, really. Like dancing to the Beatles in my backyard and buying Mars Bars from Old Billy. I didn't really think they were significant until I went to visit my mum a couple weeks ago…" Danny trailed off, reaching behind him to the white bag. He pulled out the photo album.

"I saw this for the first time. And I recognized you from my dreams. My mum was worried that I couldn't remember who you were so she brought me to the hospital and they explained that sometimes our minds hide things that caused us pain. He said it was a defense mechanism. He said that maybe if I surrounded myself with things that reminded me of you – like these pictures – I might be able to call some of the memories back…" Danny was on a roll. D.K. – or Dani – was looking at the photo album he'd placed between them. She gingerly flicked through the pages. She was controlling her reactions. He desperately wanted to know what she was thinking.

"So I left Bolton and came back to London with the pictures. I looked at them every chance that I got until I started to remember something. We were riding bikes and singing Bruce Springsteen. It wasn't much… but it made me _crave _more. I needed to know more about you," Danny confessed, spilling everything out into the open. He didn't want to hide anything if it meant she could possibly forgive him.

"I seriously tried to find you in every way I could think of. I started by Google searching you, I added like a hundred different Danielle Kelleher's on Facebook and Twitter… I even went to a hypnotist to see if I could get the memories back…" Danny confided, causing her to look up at him with the same surprised face she'd had when she'd answered the door. He liked the reaction. At least it was _something_.

"The hypnotist worked really well. I can remember a lot now. I'm not sure if it's everything, but it feels like it is. I can remember going to school together and playing football together. I can remember exchanging Christmas presents and buying Mars Bars… I remember going to that dance," he said, pointing to the picture she was stuck on causing her to blush, "I remember our first kiss. I remember the little forts we used to build in your back yard… I remember being best friends. And I regret that we grew apart. I feel so guilty and I just want to set everything right…." Danny sighed, closing his eyes as the words flowed out of him.

"So I hired a private investigator to help me find you. I couldn't find you in the phone book or on the Internet and I had nowhere else to turn. It took her a couple days but she was able to get me your address and phone number. And… now here I am," Danny finished lamely, biting his lip as he stared at her with worry in his eyes.

She wasn't looking at him. She was staring down at the photo album that she had moved to her lap. Danny leaned over slightly to see which picture she was staring at. It was one of them sun bathing together.

"We were really close, weren't we?" She asked after a few seconds. Danny let out a breath he didn't know he'd been holding. The fact that she hadn't immediately asked him to leave made him feel so relieved he nearly smiled.

"We really were," Danny agreed, scooting one couch cushion over to see the photos clearer. She'd flipped to the next page to see them snuggled together on the couch watching a Disney movie.

They were quiet for a few more minutes. She was staring intently at the photos. He didn't want to interrupt her.

"I didn't call you until a few years ago, when my dad first got diagnosed," she randomly said, still not looking up to meet his eyes. He nodded, not really understanding what she meant. He didn't know what to say.

"It took me so long because I thought you'd hate me. For the note, I mean. I knew you'd be angry, but I really thought you'd try to see me. And when you didn't I just figured you didn't _want _to see me. And then when I called…" she bit her lip and turned her face away.

Was she _crying_ again? What had he said?

"When I called I tried to explain that I was sorry. But you told me you had no idea who I was and to not call again. So I didn't," she took a deep breath and turned her face back to the pictures.

"I'm so sorry – I didn't know. If I had…" Danny didn't know how to finish. What would he have done differently if he'd always had his memories? He couldn't begin to imagine.

"Well, it's in the past. It doesn't matter," Dani sighed as she closed the photo album and quickly wiped her cheeks. She really must have cried.

It made Danny feel even worse.

"So… are you going to chuck me out?" Danny asked nervously, needing to know.

She laughed lightly in response, closing her eyes as she shook her head.

"No, I'm not. For some strange, stupid, messed up reason, I believe you," she sighed, her eyes still closed.

"Thank you. I'm so, _so _glad you do. I've told you everything. And I mean _everything_," Danny chuckled once, slightly embarrassed.

"Yeah, the fact that you hired a private investigator kind of makes me think you aren't lying…" she grinned tightly, finally looking up at him. He sighed deeply, unable to believe his luck.

"I… do you really have to get up early tomorrow?" Danny asked curiously.

"No… I was lying," she breathed, looking away again.

"I thought so," Danny grinned, slightly pleased that he was able to at least pick up on it. He still knew her enough to know when she was lying to him.

"So… what do we do now?" She asked tensely, looking nervous.

"Could we… I would really like to be friends again," Danny admitted, hoping that she'd feel the same way.

"Yeah… I'd really like that, too," she smiled as she folded her hands on top of the photo album.

And with that, Danny's heart soared.


	22. Chapter 22

"And then I was like 'Dude! You can't juggle and drink this beer at the same time' and then he TRIED IT! It ended horribly!" Dougie laughed loudly as Danny rolled his eyes at the story. He'd heard it told many times, knowing fully well Dougie loved to humiliate him whenever he could. He was lucky Danny was such a good sport about it.

"And then there was this other time when we were doing these vodka shots-"

"That's enough, Dougie!" Danny nearly squeaked, praying his friend wouldn't embarrass him further.

"I want to hear it!" Dani giggled from her spot next to Danny on his couch. He scrunched up his face in fear. He would never live it down.

"I'll tell it!" Harry offered as Danny groaned. Was it Embarrass Danny night or something?

"No, you really don't have to!" Danny said loudly, hoping his friend would catch his drift.

"No, I _really _think he does," Dani giggled some more as she linked her arm through Danny's. He sighed again and slid back to his spot on the couch, trying to lose himself in the folds.

"Right so we're all at this party after one of our gigs – where was it? Nottingham? – anyway, Danny's absolutely _pissed _drunk off of these hard core vodka shots we'd been doing and he stumbles outside and starts screaming at these random girls saying something about how Dougie's got red pubes or something-"

"Which I don't," Dougie cut in sounding very matter of fact.

"Yeah, anyway, so these girls start video taping him and it all ends up on youtube. We still like to show him the videos whenever he gets a bit too pleased with himself!" Harry grinned as Danny's blushed went from pink to dark red. Why oh why were they being so cruel?

"I want to see them!" Dani sat up quickly, letting her arm drop from Danny's.

"No! That is where I draw the line!" Danny was laughing at his own bad luck. What kind of friends did he have anyway?

"She'll see it eventually, Dan. It's not like youtube isn't accessible everywhere or anything," Tom laughed as he sipped his beer from his seat on the floor.

"Yeah, and you wouldn't want her to see it without you there to put in to context. She might think you're a raging drunk or something," Harry added sarcastically.

"Guys, you're killing me right now," Danny laughed, shaking his head as he ran his hands roughly through his hair.

"You think so? Wow, we haven't even mentioned the time you tried to go streaking through Convent Garden," Dougie said conversationally, causing Dani to nearly squeak with giggles.

"Dougie! I paid you money to never mention that!" Danny groaned, wanting nothing more than for them to talk about the weather or something equally as boring.

"Mention what?" Dougie grinned, winking in amusement at Dani.

"Dan, you can't just keep these awesome stories from me. I'll find them out sooner or later," Dani said from beside him, grinning up at him evilly.

"You've got to be kidding me…" he sighed, realizing that he was fighting a losing battle. She was going to find out every last one of his dark secrets.

The rest of the night was spent with his band mates taking the mickey out of him repeatedly until he literally could bear it no longer and he finally kicked them out. It was nearly two in the morning, so it really wasn't as horrible as it seemed.

"I like your band mates. They're all really funny guys," Dani laughed lightly as she helped him clean up some of the empty beer bottles and cans. He rolled his eyes, but unable to stop the small smile that flittered across his face.

"They're nice… usually," he responded carefully. They knew just what to say when he didn't want them to say anything at all…

"I'm glad you invited me over tonight. You've got a nice flat," Dani sighed, sitting back down on the couch and curling her legs up to her chest. Danny heaved a great sigh and flopped down next to her, extremely tired.

It had been over a month since their initial reconnection and they'd picked up their friendship like they'd never separated. Danny found it so easy to talk to her and realized that he'd never really had any type of relationship like theirs – friends included. He didn't know what he'd do without her.

"It's weird. You're the first girl who has really ever been here, apart from the guys' girlfriends, I mean," he said offhandedly as slung his arm around the back of the couch, casually behind her shoulders. She leaned back into him instinctually.

"That's bullocks, Dan. I mean, I used to see the tabloids even if I didn't buy them. You would be with a new girl each week!" She laughed indifferently, though Danny felt very uncomfortable. He didn't like discussing his love life with her. It was weird for him… even if they weren't dating. It just felt… strange.

"Yeah well, we wouldn't really come back here, would we? Privacy issues, you know?" Danny replied, knowing she'd understand.

"Yeah, I get it. Should I feel honored that I'm able to see the secret house of Jones, then?" She smiled up at him, her eyes alight with the same childhood joy that he'd remembered.

And he smiled back, unable to stop himself. He felt like a kid again, sitting with her on his couch chatting about things that didn't really matter. He loved the feeling of being next to her finally, being able to hold her – to touch her whenever he needed to, just to make sure she was still there.

"Yeah, feel _very _honored. And be nice, otherwise you can't come back," he joked, flinching away as she reached up and flicked his arm.

"If you kick me out of here, you can't come back to my house either. And then you'd never be able to see Tibby again," she laughed evilly as Danny's eyes widened in fear.

Tibby was the cat he'd bought her two weeks ago. When she'd told him her father's lawyer said that her father had left her the house, she had initially been really scared to live in the thing by herself. Danny had felt bad that she had to live on her own so he'd taken her to the animal shelter and let her pick out a kitten. She picked out an older cat instead.

And Tibby was the _coolest _cat. He would cuddle on your chest whenever you sat down on the couch. Danny totally loved him.

"No! You can't take Tibby away! That's just cruel," Danny shook his head at her low blow.

Dani laughed and relaxed her head back on his arm and shut her eyes. It was really late and he felt the day's exhaustion creeping up on him, too.

"Do you just want to sleep here? You can take my bed and I'll stay on the couch in you want," Danny offered, not wanting her to leave.

"What? Oh, no, it's fine. I can drive. Don't worry about it," she responded, opening her eyes and trying to sit up. Danny held her down by wrapping his arm around her shoulders and using his other arm as a lock around her waist.

"Stay with me!" He pleaded dramatically, tickling her sides lightly.

"No! Danny! I hate – being tickled!" She laughed, trying to push him away. He knew she hated it so he only did it for a short while.

"Now you _really _don't get to play with Tibby!" She croaked as she wiggled out of his arms.

"Aw don't be like that!" He whined playfully, wriggling closer to her.

"No! Tickling is against the rules!" She laughed, moving away.

"I won't tickle you! I promise! I swear on a mountain of Mars Bars!" He stuck his bottom lip out as he tried to hug her. She looked at him suspiciously.

"A _mountain_? That's a lot of chocolate…" her voice was unsure but he wrapped his arms around her anyway and pulled her closer to him. He heard her sigh peacefully as he held her to his chest and rested his head on hers.

And then, before he could stop himself, he kissed her.

It was a small peck on the lips. But it was enough for them to both freeze in shock.

"Danny…?" She trailed off, looking up at him with wide eyes.

"I'm sorry! I didn't mean to!" He immediately apologized. Maybe it was the alcohol…

"No… it's okay…" she sighed, shaking her head. "I just didn't see it coming."

"Yeah… sorry… I think I might have drunk to much…" he was blushing horribly. When was the last time he'd blushed over a girl?

Oh yeah, when he was thirteen and kissed her for the first time.

"Hey, do you remember when we played spin the bottle at that kid Peter's thirteenth birthday party?" Danny randomly asked as she settled back into his arms.

"Um… yeah, I think so. Why?"

"You never told me how it was with Mark Finnegan. Remember how I almost puked on Elizabeth?" Danny laughed, reminiscing. He loved that he could actually do that now.

"Mark Finnegan? Oh my gosh I completely forgot. You remember more than I do now!" She laughed, nuzzling into his chest. "We didn't actually kiss. He tried to but I told him if he'd touch me I'd start to scream. Instead I think I let him hold my hand for a few seconds," Dani laughed as she tried to remember.

"You _would _do that…" Danny shook his head as he laughed.

"Yeah well, I had the biggest crush on you. Took you a while to pick up on it," she grinned as he snorted.

"I'm a bit slow at most things. I was an idiot," Danny explained, trying to defend himself.

"Yeah well, more thirteen year old boys are," she nodded her head in agreement. Danny chuckled once as he looked down at her. He loved the way she perfectly fit next to his body, and how his arm wrapped just right around her waist. He liked how comfortable they felt doing nothing at all. It was like…

"Can I play you something?" Danny suddenly asked, detangling himself from her.

"What? Oh, sure," she replied in confusion as he ran to grab his guitar. He had one in almost every room of the house.

"Right. I've been working on this song for about a month. I've got lyrics but the song just hasn't fit together right… but now…" Danny glanced at her again before he started playing.

He tried to sing the best he could. It had been a while since he'd last worked on the song, but he'd somehow managed to memorize the lyrics. He thought he'd have trouble with the chord progression but it all seemed to just fall together and he played so naturally it was like he'd practiced it hundreds of times. It seemed to just come together.

He met Dani's eyes and she smiled back at him, nodding her head slightly to the temp of the song.

"We could've fallen in love…" he sang the last note quietly before playing the strings of the chord. Dani clapped as he let the note hang in the air.

"That was amazing, Danny! Is that going to be on your next album? I feel so special right now, being able to hear it!" She was grinning broadly, giving him her honest opinion.

Danny set his guitar down on the floor at met her eyes again. Her smiled slowly faded as she noticed his serious expression.

"I want to kiss you right now," he explained, trying to give her some type of warning, before bending towards her and capturing her lips once again.

It was longer than a peck. He needed it to be. She didn't push him away but sat still for a few seconds. He didn't care. At least she wasn't pushing him away. And then she seemed to fold into him, her arms slowly moving up his shoulders and around his neck before her hands finally knotted themselves in his curly locks.

His hands held her face gently. Her skin was so soft. How had he lived so long without her? How could he have _forgotten _her? She was the most special… the most amazing…

"Wow…" she breathed as they parted for air. Her eyes were dancing with happiness.

"Wow…" Danny agreed before bending forward and kissing her again.

When he was with her, everything in the world made sense. Every song he'd ever tried to write was complete, every beautiful melody possible to man hummed through the air, playing a song so wonderful Danny nearly wanted to cry. When he was with her, he no longer felt empty, like there was a void in his chest. He felt whole. He felt complete.

And it was a feeling he would never sacrifice. He was hers, and she was his… and he would never forget it.


End file.
